Title
Recognizing and Honoring NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support on the Occasion of its 100th Anniversary
Body
WHEREAS, The Naval Aircraft Factory (NAF) was established on November 28, 1917 in Philadelphia. After the United States entered World War I, the strain placed on aircraft manufacturers by the U.S. Army's requirements for an enormous quantity of airplanes rendered most manufacturers unable or unwilling to fill the Navy's comparatively smaller requirements. To alleviate this issue and to assure part of its aircraft supply through organic support, the Navy built its first and only Navy-owned and operated aircraft factory. The NAF also served to carry out development of naval aviation engineering and design work and to maintain a check on cost growth for commercial aviation production and design; and
WHEREAS, The entire NAF plant was completed just 110 days after its groundbreaking. Less than a year later, and 151 days after the NAF received the drawings, the NAF completed the building of the first H-16. This helped meet the greatest need for the Navy at the time; and
WHEREAS, In the early 1920s, the NAF supply department became the main source of parts and equipment for naval aviation. As naval aviation expanded and the factory's workload grew, it became increasingly challenging to meet all requirements under the existing organization structure. In April 1941, the Aviation Supply Office (ASO) was established as a "separate and distinct activity" from the supply department of the NAF to navigate the growing complexities of the naval air system. In December 1942, ASO moved to Northeast Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, The NAF ceased aircraft production in 1945, though it continued to operate as a research, development, testing and evaluation center until 1956; and
WHEREAS, In 1995, the Naval Inventory Control Point (NAVICP) was established with the merging of ASO in Philadelphia and the Ship's Parts Control Center (SPCC) in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania...
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