The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division was first commissioned in December 1941 and consists of 62,404 acres. The original mission of this installation was loading, preparing, renovating, receiving, storing, and issuing all types of ammunition to the fleet. This mission was later expanded to include applied science, weapons engineering, quality pyrotechnics, ammunition generation, industrial production equipment, support services, and quality assurance. The center also stored strategic materiel, such as brass, iodine; tantalite, mica, talc, antimony, bismuth, columbite, and lead.

A chemical agent burial ground is located in the southeast quarter of the installation. The burial ground was established during World War II to support the installation’s mission of unloading, storing, and maintaining chemical warfare munitions. In January 1945, the installation became a major storage facility for U.S. Navy chemical warfare munitions. The burial ground was also used to dispose of pyrotechnic mixtures and radioactive thorium.

According to records and interviews with past and present employees, chemical munitions weretaken to Building 600 (Transfer Depot) for loading and shipment to Ogden, Utah. Leaking rounds were taken to the burial grounds where they were drained and buried in holes 12 feet deep and covered with a heavy lime slurry. The munition casings were also buried in the same holes.

In addition, 2,808 chemical agent identification sets (CAIS) were stored at this site, but were moved to Rocky Mountain Arsenal for demilitarization. These were incinerated between 1979 and 1982.

In 1973, the Defense Explosive Safety Board directed the excavation of any chemical materiel from the suspect chemical burial ground, The project was initiated in 1974, which’yielded a quantity of radioactive thorium nitrate and IO mustard aerial bombs containing a small quantity of agent. The project was halted at that time because the level of effort available was thought to be insufficient considering the materiel exhumed.

In February 1980, the Naval Weapons Support Center (Crane Division) developed an operations plan to exhume all materiel associated with the chemical burial ground. Execution direction was given to the Naval Sea Systems Command in June 1980. Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel initiated the operation on 9 September 1980. The effort involved intensive work in the field until 24 September 1980, when the exhumation phase was considered complete. The yield was: six empty M70Al mustard bombs, one gas identification set with six ounces of mustard agent, unidentified radioactive waste, and radioactive thorium nitrate containers. All chemical materiel were safely decontaminated/detoxified.