Detroit Arsenal (DTA), previously known as the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant (DATP), was the first factory in the United States built to mass-produce tanks. It was created in 1940 by Chrysler and was owned by the U.S. government until 1996. The building was designed by architect Albert Kahn. It was originally planned as a "dual production facility," meaning it could be used to make weapons during wartime and later changed to produce peaceful goods after the war ended. Although its name is Detroit Arsenal, the 113-acre (0.46 km²) site was actually located in Warren, Michigan, which is the most populous suburb of Detroit.
History
In 1941, Chrysler built the plant very quickly, faster than many other projects. The first tanks rolled out of the plant before it was fully completed.
During World War II, the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant produced one-fourth of the 89,568 tanks made in the United States. The plant built M3 Lee tanks while construction was still ongoing and switched to making M4 Sherman tanks in 1942. Production increased again for the first time after World War II ended during the Korean War. The government stopped making tanks after each war. In May 1952, Chrysler took control of the plant back from the army, which had struggled to increase production.
As a government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) facility, Chrysler managed the plant until March 1982, when Chrysler sold its Chrysler Defense division to General Dynamics Land Systems. General Dynamics built the M1 Abrams tank at the plant (and at another plant in Lima, Ohio) until 1996, when the plant closed. Tank assembly and maintenance were moved to the Lima plant. In 2001, the plant and some nearby land were given to the City of Warren. The original plant site is now divided and used for civilian purposes.
This important production site, known as the Arsenal of Democracy, is marked by a Michigan Historical Marker.
The plant was built to withstand attacks from weapons used at the time. It had thick concrete walls in some areas and a reinforced roof with slats to help direct bombs away from windows and exhaust fans.
Parts of the property not given to the city remain an active Army facility. Many agencies work there, and the installation is managed by the Installation Management Command (IMCOM). The United States Army CCDC Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC), formerly the Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), and the United States Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command are based there. TACOM continues to operate at the location and experienced major construction projects in the 2010s.
Tenant units
- U.S. Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center
- U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command (TACOM LCMC)
- U.S. Army Program Executive Office Combat Support and Combat Service Support (PEO CS&CSS)
- U.S. Army Program Executive Office Ground Combat Systems (PEO GCS)
Tanks produced
- M3 Lee, 1941–1942
- M4 Sherman, 1941–1945
- M26 Pershing, 1945
- M46 Patton, 1949
- M47 Patton, 1951–1953
- M67 "Zippo", 1955–1956
- M60, 1960–1987
- M1 Abrams, 1980–1996