HISTORY
In 1943, Holston Ordnance Works (HOW) began explosives production. The U.S. government contracted Tennessee Eastman Corporation
to research a way to make large quantities of the explosives needed to combat German U-boats in the North Atlantic. The facility
was originally designed to produce the most powerful explosives available, prior to the development of the atomic bomb. By January
1944, HOW produced and shipped 1.1 million pounds of explosives per day.
HOW was decommissioned at the end of World War II, but reactivated for the Korean War. The plant was renamed Holston Army Ammunition
Plant and has been in continuous operation since 1950. The U.S. military has used HSAAP explosives in every conflict since World War II.