The Admiralty Mining Establishment originally known as the Mine Design Department was a technical department of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

responsible for both the design of

naval mines A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any v ...

and the development of suitable countermeasures from 1915 to 1951

History

A mining department was originally established at the Admiralty in 1915, in 1919 the name was changed to the ''Mine Design Department'' (MDD) based at

HMS Vernon Two ships and a training establishment of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Vernon'', possibly after Admiral Edward Vernon: * was a 14-gun armed ship listed between 1781 and 1782. * was a 50-gun fourth rate launched in 1832. She became ...

in Portsmouth. In 1946, after being dispersed to various places during the war, in keeping with many technical departments it employed both military and highly skilled, civilian personnel. It was partly located near

HMNB Portsmouth His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is lo ...

at West Leigh House,

Havant Havant ( ) is a town in the south-east corner of Hampshire, England between Portsmouth and Chichester. Its borough (population: 125,000) comprises the town (45,826) and its suburbs including the resort of Hayling Island as well as Rowland's Castl ...

as the Admiralty Mining Establishment (AME). In 1951, its role changed significantly as it was merged into a new larger department called the Underwater Counter measures and Weapon Establishment (UCWE). The UCWE was itself merged into the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment, Portland in 1959.

Notable personnel

''During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

it recruited a number of scientists to its ranks many of them went on to become highly regarded in their respective fields including;'' * David Bates * Robert Boyd *

Francis Crick Francis Harry Compton Crick (8 June 1916 – 28 July 2004) was an English molecular biologist, biophysicist, and neuroscientist. He, James Watson, Rosalind Franklin, and Maurice Wilkins played crucial roles in deciphering the helical struc ...

, * Tom Gaskell * John Gunn *

Harrie Massey Sir Harrie Stewart Wilson Massey (16 May 1908 – 27 November 1983) was an Australian mathematical physicist who worked primarily in the fields of atomic and atmospheric physics. A graduate of the University of Melbourne and Cambridge Univer ...

Nevill Mott Sir Nevill Francis Mott (30 September 1905 – 8 August 1996) was a British physicist who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1977 for his work on the electronic structure of magnetic and disordered systems, especially amorphous semiconductors. ...

Timeline

Board of Admiralty The Board of Admiralty (1628–1964) was established in 1628 when Charles I put the office of Lord High Admiral into commission. As that position was not always occupied, the purpose was to enable management of the day-to-day operational requi ...

, Admiralty, Mining Department, 1915-1919. * Board of Admiralty, Admiralty Mine Design Department, 1919-1951. * Board of Admiralty, Underwater Counter measures and Weapon Establishment, 1951-1959. * Board of Admiralty, Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment, 1959-1964. *

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

, Navy Department, Underwater Weapons Establishment, Portland, 1964-1984.

References

External links

UK National Archives leaflet on Royal Navy research and development

{{Admiralty Department, state=collapsed Admiralty departments Mine warfare and mine clearance organizations Admiralty during World War I Admiralty during World War II 1915 establishments in the United Kingdom 1951 disestablishments in the United Kingdom

History

Notable personnel

Timeline

See also

References

Further reading

External links