Letterkenny Army Depot
Encyclopedia
Letterkenny Army Depot, the Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence for Air Defense and Tactical Missile Systems, was established in 1942. The depot is under the command structure of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM). The facilities at Letterkenny are used to conduct maintenance, modification, storage, and demilitarization operations on tactical missiles and ammunition.
Located primarily in Letterkenny Township and extending into Greene Township
and Hamilton Township
, all in Franklin County, Pennsylvania
, just northwest of the borough of Chambersburg
, Letterkenny Depot consists of over 17,500 acres (71 km²). Letterkenny is one of the top three employers in Franklin County, PA, and propels over one-quarter of a billion dollars annually into the region's economy
.
Letterkenny has unique tactical missile repair capabilities repairing a variety of Defense Department missile
systems, including the MIM-104 PATRIOT
missile and its ground support and radar equipment. Most recently, Letterkenny has expanded its product line to include to overhaul of tactical wheeled vehicles (HMMWVs), material handling equipment (7.5-ton cranes), and Mobile Kitchen Trailers.
, Henry L. Stimson
, issued the directive to acquire 21,000 acres (85 km²) at Letterkenny for a depot. Letterkenny’s mission would be to reduce the surplus of forthcoming material and to store and ship ammunition, trucks, parts, and other supplies.
The first shipment of ammunition arrived by train on September 23, 1942. More than 3 million tons of supplies were moved during World War II
. Letterkenny was one of the largest depots of its kind and was called the Springboard of Invasion in 1944.
After World War II, an enormous amount of ammunition was being returned from overseas, some of which was unserviceable and had to be destroyed. At the time of the Korean War
, July 1950, Letterkenny Ordnance Depot was in much better condition to meet the emergency than back in World War II. The 1950s were a time of growth, as new technologies in electronics
and guided missile
maintenance increased the depot's workload. Employees were trained in these fields and began working on Project Nike
missile components in 1953. Letterkenny became a pilot depot for the implementation of the Depot Command Management System and SPEEDEX (System-wide Project for Electronic Equipment at Depots Extended). In 1955, Major Item Supply Management Agency (MISMA), which provided control functions on a worldwide basis, became a tenant of Letterkenny. It evolved into the U.S. Army Depot System Command, Letterkenny’s immediate higher headquarters.
Letterkenny became a permanent military installation on July 1, 1954. The ordnance depot was renamed Letterkenny Army Depot in August 1962, and command and control of the depot fell under the U.S. Army Materiel Command. In the 1960s, with the war in Vietnam, Letterkenny’s missions increased.
In the 1970s, command of Savanna Army Depot Activity, Illinois
, fell under Letterkenny. An ammunition washout facility was built and the Northeast Area Flight Detachment moved to Letterkenny. The U.S. Army Depot System Command was established in 1976 and headquartered at Letterkenny. This 2-star command remained at Letterkenny until 1995, when it became the Industrial Operations Command at Rock Island, Illinois
--today’s Operations System Command.
The 1980s and early 1990s saw the depot evolving into its present form. New facilities and modernization
projects, such as the Automatic Storage and Retrieval System-Plus, were constructed. Paladin (M109 howitzer
), PATRIOT, and HAWK
work made Letterkenny a Center for Technical Excellence.
In 2002, Letterkenny celebrated 60 years of supporting soldiers and the U.S. Army.
Located primarily in Letterkenny Township and extending into Greene Township
Greene Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Greene Township is a township in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 12,284 at the 2000 census. Part of Caledonia State Park is in Greene Township.-Geography:...
and Hamilton Township
Hamilton Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Hamilton Township is a township in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,949 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
, all in Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Franklin County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 129,313 people, 50,633 households, and 36,405 families residing in the county. The population density was 168 people per square mile . There were 53,803 housing units at an average density of 70 per square mile...
, just northwest of the borough of Chambersburg
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Chambersburg is a borough in the South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is miles north of Maryland and the Mason-Dixon line and southwest of Harrisburg in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Great Appalachian Valley. Chambersburg is the county seat of Franklin County...
, Letterkenny Depot consists of over 17,500 acres (71 km²). Letterkenny is one of the top three employers in Franklin County, PA, and propels over one-quarter of a billion dollars annually into the region's economy
Economic system
An economic system is the combination of the various agencies, entities that provide the economic structure that defines the social community. These agencies are joined by lines of trade and exchange along which goods, money etc. are continuously flowing. An example of such a system for a closed...
.
Letterkenny has unique tactical missile repair capabilities repairing a variety of Defense Department missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
systems, including the MIM-104 PATRIOT
MIM-104 Patriot
The MIM-104 Patriot is a surface-to-air missile system, the primary of its kind used by the United States Army and several allied nations. It is manufactured by the Raytheon Company of the United States. The Patriot System replaced the Nike Hercules system as the U.S. Army's primary High to Medium...
missile and its ground support and radar equipment. Most recently, Letterkenny has expanded its product line to include to overhaul of tactical wheeled vehicles (HMMWVs), material handling equipment (7.5-ton cranes), and Mobile Kitchen Trailers.
History of Letterkenny Army Depot
In 1941, Letterkenny was chosen by the U.S. Department of War to be one of twelve new ordnance depots. On December 18, 1941, the Secretary of WarUnited States Secretary of War
The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...
, Henry L. Stimson
Henry L. Stimson
Henry Lewis Stimson was an American statesman, lawyer and Republican Party politician and spokesman on foreign policy. He twice served as Secretary of War 1911–1913 under Republican William Howard Taft and 1940–1945, under Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt. In the latter role he was a leading hawk...
, issued the directive to acquire 21,000 acres (85 km²) at Letterkenny for a depot. Letterkenny’s mission would be to reduce the surplus of forthcoming material and to store and ship ammunition, trucks, parts, and other supplies.
The first shipment of ammunition arrived by train on September 23, 1942. More than 3 million tons of supplies were moved during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Letterkenny was one of the largest depots of its kind and was called the Springboard of Invasion in 1944.
After World War II, an enormous amount of ammunition was being returned from overseas, some of which was unserviceable and had to be destroyed. At the time of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, July 1950, Letterkenny Ordnance Depot was in much better condition to meet the emergency than back in World War II. The 1950s were a time of growth, as new technologies in electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
and guided missile
Guided Missile
Guided Missile is a London based independent record label set up by Paul Kearney in 1994.Guided Missile has always focused on 'the underground', preferring to put out a steady flow of releases and developing the numerous GM events around London and beyond....
maintenance increased the depot's workload. Employees were trained in these fields and began working on Project Nike
Project Nike
Project Nike was a U.S. Army project, proposed in May 1945 by Bell Laboratories, to develop a line-of-sight anti-aircraft missile system. The project delivered the United States' first operational anti-aircraft missile system, the Nike Ajax, in 1953...
missile components in 1953. Letterkenny became a pilot depot for the implementation of the Depot Command Management System and SPEEDEX (System-wide Project for Electronic Equipment at Depots Extended). In 1955, Major Item Supply Management Agency (MISMA), which provided control functions on a worldwide basis, became a tenant of Letterkenny. It evolved into the U.S. Army Depot System Command, Letterkenny’s immediate higher headquarters.
Letterkenny became a permanent military installation on July 1, 1954. The ordnance depot was renamed Letterkenny Army Depot in August 1962, and command and control of the depot fell under the U.S. Army Materiel Command. In the 1960s, with the war in Vietnam, Letterkenny’s missions increased.
In the 1970s, command of Savanna Army Depot Activity, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, fell under Letterkenny. An ammunition washout facility was built and the Northeast Area Flight Detachment moved to Letterkenny. The U.S. Army Depot System Command was established in 1976 and headquartered at Letterkenny. This 2-star command remained at Letterkenny until 1995, when it became the Industrial Operations Command at Rock Island, Illinois
Rock Island, Illinois
Rock Island is the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 40,884 at the 2010 census. Located on the Mississippi River, it is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Moline, East Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The Quad Cities...
--today’s Operations System Command.
The 1980s and early 1990s saw the depot evolving into its present form. New facilities and modernization
Modernization
In the social sciences, modernization or modernisation refers to a model of an evolutionary transition from a 'pre-modern' or 'traditional' to a 'modern' society. The teleology of modernization is described in social evolutionism theories, existing as a template that has been generally followed by...
projects, such as the Automatic Storage and Retrieval System-Plus, were constructed. Paladin (M109 howitzer
M109 howitzer
The M109 is an American-made self-propelled 155 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s. It was upgraded a number of times to today's M109A6 Paladin...
), PATRIOT, and HAWK
Hawk
The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
work made Letterkenny a Center for Technical Excellence.
In 2002, Letterkenny celebrated 60 years of supporting soldiers and the U.S. Army.