NAVAL GUN FACTORY AND BUREAU OF ORDNANCE (WASHINGTON, D.C.)

The Naval Gun Factory and Bureau of Ordnance, located in Washington, D.C., was established in 1799 as part of the Washington Navy Yard, making it one of the oldest shore facilities of the U.S. Navy. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, it served as the principal manufacturing and research center for naval ordnance, producing naval guns, ammunition, and other critical weapon systems. During both World Wars, the facility played a vital role in arming the expanding U.S. Navy, innovating new technologies and supplying the fleet with advanced weaponry. The Bureau of Ordnance, headquartered at the yard, oversaw all naval weapons development until it was merged into the Bureau of Naval Weapons in 1959.