Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment

The Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment AUWE(S) was an admiralty research establishment, built in 1949-52 at Barrow Hill near Portland's southern-most village Southwell. After becoming AUWE(S) in 1959, the establishment worked alongside the AUWE(N) establishment within Portland's naval dockyard. The Underwater Weapons Establishment was formed by the absorption of the Underwater Countermeasures and Weapons Establishment at Havant, the Torpedo Experimental Establishment, Greenock and the Underwater Launching Establishment, Bournemouth. The amalgamation was taken a stage further when, in 1960, the two establishments at Portland were combined to form the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment. It was designed to be a single centre, under the command of a Captain Superintendent, responsible for the design, development and testing of underwater weapon and detection systems. In 1984 the name was changed to Admiralty Research Establishment, Portland as a part of the major re-organisation of most naval research and development establishments.

Both sites became infamous for the espionage infiltration of the Portland Spy Ring in 1961.