Holston Army Ammunition Plant - Kingsport, TN - Military Installations on Waymarking.com

From the global security website (here), we learn that Holston Army Ammunition/Plant B is on 5,900 acres in Hawkins County. The plant was constructed 1942-1944 for use by the government contractor, Tennessee Eastman Corporation, a subsidiary of Eastman Kodak. During World War II, it manufactured Composition B, a very powerful explosive mixture of RDX (cyclonite) and TNT. The facility was placed in standby status after World War II, producing only fertilizer, until it was reactivated in 1949 under the Holston Defense Corporation, a new subsidiary of Eastman Kodak. During the Korean War, the plant continued to manufacture Composition B as well as rework its stockpiled Composition B. New production lines were built during 1951-1954 in order to produce for the war. However, after the Korean War it was reduced to a one-line operation. It did not resume large-scale production until the mid-1960s when it was again modernized to produce large amounts of Composition B for the Vietnam War. After 1973, production was again reduced to a much smaller amount, but the plant also began producing “special-order” explosives and propellants for the Armed Services, including the Navy’ s Trident Program. It also handles and stores material for the national defense stockpile.

In 2003, BAE Systems Aerospace and Defense won a 25 year contract to operate and manage the Holston facility for the US Government. Final production of explosives was completed by Sept. 2007. The ongoing contract requires BAE to develop commercial business in the facility’s assets, which is now the Holston Business & Technology Park.