Naval Ordnance Station Louisville

Naval Ordnance Station Louisville ("NOSL") is a major employer of Louisville, Kentucky, near Standiford Field. For over fifty years, starting in late 1941, it provided maintenance and equipment for the United States Navy. Since the end of the Cold War, most of it has been turned over to private companies, and the complex is currently named the Greater Louisville Technology Park.

The area for Naval Ordnance was chosen due to being so far inland, that it would be difficult for enemies to strike it. Construction began on January 29, 1941, ten months prior to the Attack on Pearl Harbor and America's official entry into World War II. It was officially commissioned on October 1, 1941.

During World War II, Westinghouse Electric Corporation held the work contract for the facility, even though it was (and still is) a private company. At its height it would employ 4200 workers at one time. It specialized in torpedo tubes and gun mounts. In February 1946 operational control reverted to the Navy, and the number of workers declined to 500. In 1948 it spiked to 850, and then decreased to only 100 in 1950. The Korean War caused employment at NOSL to increase to 1800.

During the Cold War, it would mostly repair naval equipment, but would also provide general support, research and development of gun weapon systems, and construct ordnance for the Navy. By the 1990s, it was the only facility that the Navy had that could give its surface weapon systems complete engineering, technical support services, and major overhauling. It was the only facility approved to give the Phalanx CIWS engineering and overhauling.

In 1990, NOSL was on a list for base closures, but the Gulf War caused the facility to remain open, hiring 107 permanent workers. Immediately after the conclusion of Operation: Desert Storm, it was decided for NOSL to merge some activities with Indiana's Crane Naval facility, allowing it to remain open. On June 27, 1993, it survived another base-closure movement, despite efforts by a private contractor in Minnesota.

...
Wikipedia