Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment
1917 The Admiralty set up an Experimental Department at HM Signal School, Portsmouth, to coordinate research work undertaken since 1896 on the Torpedo School ships HMS Defiance and HMS Vernon.
1941 the Experimental Department became the Admiralty Signal Establishment which, like its predecessors, was largely concerned with communications.
WWII Technological advances during the war necessitated an increase in related fields of research
1948 The various research activities were brought together under one body, the Admiralty Signal and Radar Establishment at Portsmouth.
1959 Missile technology needed extra effort; the Establishment incorporated part of the Admiralty Gunnery Establishment (AGE) and was retitled the Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment (ASWE). It became responsible for various aspects of research, development, design and trial of equipment, devices and techniques in the fields of communications, radar missile control, and electronic counter-measures and in related fields.
1971 the Admiralty Compass Observatory was absorbed into ASWE as its Navigation Division
1984 the ASW Establishment was amalgamated with Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment (AUWE) and Admiralty Marine Technology Establishment (AMTE) to form the Admiralty Research Establishment (ARE).
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] National Archives