The Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) is the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

's full-spectrum research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support center for submarine

Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...

s, autonomous underwater systems, and offensive and defensive weapons systems associated with undersea warfare. One of the corporate laboratories of the Naval Sea Systems Command

Naval Sea Systems Command

The Naval Sea Systems Command is the largest of the U.S. Navy's five "systems commands," or materiel organizations...

, NUWC is headquartered in Newport, Rhode Island

Newport, Rhode Island

Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...

, and has two major subordinate activities — Division Newport and Division Keyport (in Keyport, Washington

Keyport, Washington

Keyport is an unincorporated community in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The community is located at the eastern terminus of State Route 308 on the Kitsap Peninsula, east of Subase Bangor. Keyport's ZIP Code, 98345, had a ZCTA population of 554 at the 2010 census, in addition to a...

). NUWC also controls the Fox Island

Fox Island (Rhode Island)

Fox Island is an island in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, in the United States of America. It lies between Conanicut Island and North Kingstown just south of Wickford Village. The island is a part of the town of North Kingstown...

 Facility and Gould Island.

NUWC employs more than 4,400 civilian and military personnel

Military personnel

Military personnel is a blanket term used to refer to members of any armed force. Usually, military personnel are divided into branches of service roughly defined by certain circumstances of the deployment of the personnel. Those who serve in a typical large land force are soldiers, making up an...

, with budget

Budget

A budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...

s of over US$1 billion.

History

In 1869 the U.S. Naval Torpedo Station was founded in Newport on Goat Island

Goat Island (Rhode Island)

Goat Island is a small island in Narragansett Bay and is part of the city of Newport, Rhode Island, U.S. The island is connected to the Easton's Point neighborhood via a causeway bridge. Goat Island is home to the Newport Harbor Light , The Marina Cafe & Pub, Belle Mer, and the Goat Island South...

, the site of a military fort since 1703. The Naval Torpedo Station researched and tested underwater weaponry through World War I and World War II creating additional facilities on Rose Island

Rose Island (Rhode Island)

Rose Island is an island in Narragansett Bay off Newport, Rhode Island. The name of the island is allegedly named "Rose Island" because at low tide the island appears to be shaped like a rose. The Island is only accessible by boat...

, Fox Island

Fox Island (Rhode Island)

Fox Island is an island in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, in the United States of America. It lies between Conanicut Island and North Kingstown just south of Wickford Village. The island is a part of the town of North Kingstown...

, and Gould Island. In 1951 the station on Goat Island was reorganized:

For the next 15 years, it was the Underwater Ordnance Station, and then the Underwater Weapons Research and Engineering Station until 1970. That year, the Underwater Sound Lab from New London, Conn., was combined with the Newport facility to form the Naval Underwater Systems Center or NUSC. In 1992, the command was reorganized as the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Newport.