The United States Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), named for Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren, is located in Dahlgren, Virginia and is part of the Naval Surface Warfare Center. The NSWCDD was founded as the U.S. Naval Proving Ground on October 16, 1918, as a result of the expanded range on large caliber naval guns brought about by the launching of the British battleship HMS Dreadnought that revolutionized seapower, but was renamed some time after 1950 to the U.S. Naval Weapons Laboratory. In 1974, it was renamed the Naval Surface Weapons Center, and obtained its current name around 1990.