Naval Ordnance Laboratory
Encyclopedia
The Naval Ordnance Laboratory (NOL), now disestablished, formerly located in White Oak, Maryland
was the site of considerable work that had practical impact upon world technology. The White Oak site of NOL has now been taken over by the Food and Drug Administration
.
to form the Naval Ordnance Laboratory.
NOL began slowly, and it wasn't until the beginnings of World War II, when Germany's aircraft-laid magnetic mine began to cause serious problems for the Allies
. As the importance of NOL's work became apparent, it also became apparent that there wasn't enough space at the Navy Yard to accommodate the necessary research facilities.
ic area (the 200 area). This area was in the middle of the woods, and remained so up until the Lab's demise in 1994. It is believed that the area was selected because it was magnetically neutral - there was less iron
in the earth than in other areas to interfere with sensitive magnetic experiments. The buildings were made of wood, with wooden pegs instead of nails. The buildings had unusual names: Bldg 203 was the "Spherical Field Lab", Building 204 was the "Long Field Lab".
The Phoenix
/Casino building in the 200 Area was quite unique - in this building, systems and components were subjected to nuclear weapons radiation simulation. "Phoenix" undoubtedly refers to systems "rising from the ashes" after a nuclear explosion. The "Casino" moniker was apparently a reference to the "luck of the draw" on receiving funding for this facility. It was hoped that another military agency would take over the Casino facility after the base closure, but it is believed to have been abandoned.
The largest test facility was Bldg. 327, the 50 Pound Bombproof Facility
, which became operational in 1984. The center of the building housed a 20' x 20' x 16' steel-lined reinforced concrete test chamber capable of containing an explosion equivalent to 50 pounds of TNT. Numerous sophisticated high speed cameras, x-ray equipment, and high speed electronics were used to monitor a wide range of experiments. A four inch (102 mm) single stage light gas gun
and one inch two stage light gas gun
set up to fire projectiles into the chamber further extended the facility's capabilities.
s. At the end of World War II, the G.I.'s found several large wind tunnels in Peenemünde
, Germany. The wind tunnels were disassembled and brought back to the United States. One went to NOL's sister laboratory, the David Taylor Model Basin
(DTMB), in Bethesda, Maryland. DTMB operated that wind tunnel until the 1990s, when a major failure led to its abandonment.
White Oak's "Supersonic Wind Tunnel", the larger of the German wind tunnels, was installed in 1947. There was a number of similar facilities including the Mach
10 Wind Tunnel (1950), Mach 12 Wind Tunnel (1951), the Hypersonic
Wind Tunnel (1957), and the Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel (1972) (Article about work performed at the Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel Hypervelocity wind tunnel reaches 3,000-run milestone ).
The U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center
(AEDC) currently (in 2010) operates the Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel 9. This facility, known simply as Tunnel 9, operates by blowing down hot, high-pressure nitrogen gas through one of several available axially-symmetric 12-meter-long De Laval nozzle
s, through a test section, and into a downstream vacuum sphere. Operating in the test-section Mach number
range of 7 to 16, Tunnel 9 is the highest-pressure wind tunnel in the world. It produces realistic flight Reynolds numbers at hypersonic Mach numbers and beyond, with test times on the order of one second.
Other buildings in the Aeroballistics Area 400, including the original main wind tunnel building (415) and the 1000 feet (304.8 m) Hyperballistics Range, are now (in 2010) abandoned and have fallen into disrepair. They are to be demolished during the continuing GSA conversion of the old NOL campus into the Federal Research Center at White Oak. A section of the original Peenemünde wind tunnel (Tunnel 1) is preserved in the lobby of the Tunnel 9 building.
Facility" was one facility located there, and transferred to the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division
aka David Taylor Model Basin
, under the power systems branch of the functional materials
division. It now has the name of "Tandem Pelletron
Positive - Ion Accelerator Facility".
But the relentless spread of civilization brought homes and townhouses right up to the fence surrounding the Lab. Purchasers of houses next to an "Ordnance Laboratory" expected to hear an occasional explosion, and were occasionally rewarded with one.
In 1974, the lab was merged with Naval Weapons Laboratory (NWL) in Dahlgren, VA to form the Naval Surface Weapons Center (NSWC), later renamed the Naval Surface Warfare Center
. As years passed after the name change, fewer local residents understood the nature of the research being conducted on areas of the base. Explosives testing operations were carried on in hardened indoor test facilities and almost no external signs of explosions and other tests being carried out reached the edge of the facility.
This all changed suddenly on a Sunday afternoon, June 28, 1992, at about 1PM when the contents of explosives storage magazine Bldg. 355 exploded. Approximately 5000 lb (2,268 kg) of stored explosives detonated, shattering windows and rattling china in the nearby neighborhoods. While the magazine accomplished its design purpose of limiting off-site damage (it was designed to hold up to 7000 lb (3,175.1 kg) safely), this did not endear the Laboratory to the neighbors, and probably contributed to the ultimate decision to close the Lab.
(BRAC) report of 1991 reduced the scope of NOL and reduced the staff to 650 persons. BRAC '93 recommended dis-establishment, and the move of the Naval Sea Systems Command
(NAVSEA) from leased buildings in Crystal City, Virginia
to White Oak.
NOL was partitioned between three existing Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) R&D Labs: NSWC Dahlgren
retained the weapons systems research and associated personnel. NSWC Indian Head
received the explosives research, and NSWC Carderock
, formerly David Taylor Model Basin
, received the basic research interests.
Ultimately though, NAVSEA had the choice of relocation sites. White Oak boasted a 9-hole golf course, hundreds of acres of woods with abundant flora and fauna, and a pleasant suburban location with existing buildings, lots of parking, good roads, shopping and housing. Although the Washington Navy Yard, in a decaying part of the city, had few such benefits to recommend it, it was nevertheless the choice NAVSEA settled on.
The General Services Administration
(GSA) then took over the White Oak site, which was then available for other Government agencies, and was renamed the Federal Research Center.
The NOL employee golf course has closed.
White Oak, Maryland
White Oak is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States.-Geography:As an unincorporated area, White Oak's boundaries are not officially defined...
was the site of considerable work that had practical impact upon world technology. The White Oak site of NOL has now been taken over by the Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
.
History
The U.S. Navy Mine Unit, later the Mine Laboratory at the Washington (D.C.) Navy Yard, was established in 1918, and the first Officer In Charge (OIC) arrived in February 1919, marking the beginning of the Laboratory. In 1929, the Mine Laboratory was merged with the Experimental Ammunition Station in Indian HeadIndian Head
Indian Head can refer to:* Indian Head, Saskatchewan, town in Canada* Indian Head, Maryland, town in the United States* Indian Head , headland in Australia* Indian Head cent, U.S. one cent coin * Indian Head nickel, U.S...
to form the Naval Ordnance Laboratory.
NOL began slowly, and it wasn't until the beginnings of World War II, when Germany's aircraft-laid magnetic mine began to cause serious problems for the Allies
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
. As the importance of NOL's work became apparent, it also became apparent that there wasn't enough space at the Navy Yard to accommodate the necessary research facilities.
White Oak
In 1944, acquisition, planning and construction work began at a 712 acres (2.9 km²) wooded site located at 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD. Someone remarked to a Navy official during early 1945 that it seemed odd to be building the new laboratory at that time: the war would probably be over before the facility could be finished. "That laboratory" remarked the Navy man, "is not being built for this war".Overall Map
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Administration Area
This 1960s-era postcard image shows the NOL Administration Building and golf course as seen from New Hampshire Ave. After renovation for use by the FDA it still looks much the same, with "Naval Ordnance Laboratory" still carved in stone above the main entrance.The 200 Area
The first technical facilities were in the new magnetMagnet
A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, and attracts or repels other magnets.A permanent magnet is an object...
ic area (the 200 area). This area was in the middle of the woods, and remained so up until the Lab's demise in 1994. It is believed that the area was selected because it was magnetically neutral - there was less iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
in the earth than in other areas to interfere with sensitive magnetic experiments. The buildings were made of wood, with wooden pegs instead of nails. The buildings had unusual names: Bldg 203 was the "Spherical Field Lab", Building 204 was the "Long Field Lab".
The Phoenix
Phoenix (mythology)
The phoenix or phenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and Phoenicians....
/Casino building in the 200 Area was quite unique - in this building, systems and components were subjected to nuclear weapons radiation simulation. "Phoenix" undoubtedly refers to systems "rising from the ashes" after a nuclear explosion. The "Casino" moniker was apparently a reference to the "luck of the draw" on receiving funding for this facility. It was hoped that another military agency would take over the Casino facility after the base closure, but it is believed to have been abandoned.
The 300 Area
The largest area geographically, the 300 area, was the Explosives research area. This area included 50 or more buildings in which a wide range of explosives activities were performed, ranging from basic compound research and new formulations, to large scale weapon systems design. Some building were large manufacturing facilities while others were very small (< 100 sq ft) housing a single scientist and his or her lab and office space.The largest test facility was Bldg. 327, the 50 Pound Bombproof Facility
, which became operational in 1984. The center of the building housed a 20' x 20' x 16' steel-lined reinforced concrete test chamber capable of containing an explosion equivalent to 50 pounds of TNT. Numerous sophisticated high speed cameras, x-ray equipment, and high speed electronics were used to monitor a wide range of experiments. A four inch (102 mm) single stage light gas gun
Light gas gun
The light-gas gun is an apparatus for physics experiments, a highly specialized gun designed to generate very high velocities. It is usually used to study high speed impact phenomena , such as the formation of impact craters by meteorites or the erosion of materials by micrometeoroids...
and one inch two stage light gas gun
Light gas gun
The light-gas gun is an apparatus for physics experiments, a highly specialized gun designed to generate very high velocities. It is usually used to study high speed impact phenomena , such as the formation of impact craters by meteorites or the erosion of materials by micrometeoroids...
set up to fire projectiles into the chamber further extended the facility's capabilities.
The 400 Area
The 400 area was home to a number of wind tunnelWind tunnel
A wind tunnel is a research tool used in aerodynamic research to study the effects of air moving past solid objects.-Theory of operation:Wind tunnels were first proposed as a means of studying vehicles in free flight...
s. At the end of World War II, the G.I.'s found several large wind tunnels in Peenemünde
Peenemünde
The Peenemünde Army Research Center was founded in 1937 as one of five military proving grounds under the Army Weapons Office ....
, Germany. The wind tunnels were disassembled and brought back to the United States. One went to NOL's sister laboratory, the David Taylor Model Basin
David Taylor Model Basin
The David Taylor Model Basin is one of the largest ship model basins — test facilities for the development of ship design — in the world...
(DTMB), in Bethesda, Maryland. DTMB operated that wind tunnel until the 1990s, when a major failure led to its abandonment.
White Oak's "Supersonic Wind Tunnel", the larger of the German wind tunnels, was installed in 1947. There was a number of similar facilities including the Mach
Mach number
Mach number is the speed of an object moving through air, or any other fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance for its particular physical conditions, including those of temperature and pressure...
10 Wind Tunnel (1950), Mach 12 Wind Tunnel (1951), the Hypersonic
Hypersonic
In aerodynamics, a hypersonic speed is one that is highly supersonic. Since the 1970s, the term has generally been assumed to refer to speeds of Mach 5 and above...
Wind Tunnel (1957), and the Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel (1972) (Article about work performed at the Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel Hypervelocity wind tunnel reaches 3,000-run milestone ).
The U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center
Arnold Engineering Development Center
Arnold Engineering Development Center is a ground-based flight test facility operated by the US Air Force Materiel Command.-Mission statement:The AEDC mission is to:...
(AEDC) currently (in 2010) operates the Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel 9. This facility, known simply as Tunnel 9, operates by blowing down hot, high-pressure nitrogen gas through one of several available axially-symmetric 12-meter-long De Laval nozzle
De Laval nozzle
A de Laval nozzle is a tube that is pinched in the middle, making a carefully balanced, asymmetric hourglass-shape...
s, through a test section, and into a downstream vacuum sphere. Operating in the test-section Mach number
Mach number
Mach number is the speed of an object moving through air, or any other fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance for its particular physical conditions, including those of temperature and pressure...
range of 7 to 16, Tunnel 9 is the highest-pressure wind tunnel in the world. It produces realistic flight Reynolds numbers at hypersonic Mach numbers and beyond, with test times on the order of one second.
Other buildings in the Aeroballistics Area 400, including the original main wind tunnel building (415) and the 1000 feet (304.8 m) Hyperballistics Range, are now (in 2010) abandoned and have fallen into disrepair. They are to be demolished during the continuing GSA conversion of the old NOL campus into the Federal Research Center at White Oak. A section of the original Peenemünde wind tunnel (Tunnel 1) is preserved in the lobby of the Tunnel 9 building.
The 500 Area
There were a number of unique facilities in this area. The "Positive Ion AcceleratorParticle accelerator
A particle accelerator is a device that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to high speeds and to contain them in well-defined beams. An ordinary CRT television set is a simple form of accelerator. There are two basic types: electrostatic and oscillating field accelerators.In...
Facility" was one facility located there, and transferred to the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division
Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division
The Carderock Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, located in Potomac, Maryland, specializes in ship acoustics and stealth technology. Another area of focus is hydromechanics....
aka David Taylor Model Basin
David Taylor Model Basin
The David Taylor Model Basin is one of the largest ship model basins — test facilities for the development of ship design — in the world...
, under the power systems branch of the functional materials
Functional Materials
Functional Materials is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Institute for Single Crystals of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine . The journal was founded in 1994 and highlights the fundamental and applied research of organic and non-organic functional materials. It is...
division. It now has the name of "Tandem Pelletron
Pelletron
A pelletron is a type of electrostatic particle accelerator similar to a Van de Graaff generator. Pelletrons have been built in many sizes, from small units producing voltages up to 500 kilovolts and beam energies up to 1 megaelectronvolt of kinetic energy, to the largest system, which has...
Positive - Ion Accelerator Facility".
The Beginning of the End
NOL was purposely built in what was then a remote area. White Oak was still farmland, and the designers could not have predicted the phenomenal growth of the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC.But the relentless spread of civilization brought homes and townhouses right up to the fence surrounding the Lab. Purchasers of houses next to an "Ordnance Laboratory" expected to hear an occasional explosion, and were occasionally rewarded with one.
In 1974, the lab was merged with Naval Weapons Laboratory (NWL) in Dahlgren, VA to form the Naval Surface Weapons Center (NSWC), later renamed the Naval Surface Warfare Center
Naval Surface Warfare Center
The Naval Sea Systems Command Warfare Centers are composed of the Naval Surface Warfare Centers and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center . They operate in a seamless, integrated manner, and they collaborate with customers using a common work assignment process to get the right work to the right...
. As years passed after the name change, fewer local residents understood the nature of the research being conducted on areas of the base. Explosives testing operations were carried on in hardened indoor test facilities and almost no external signs of explosions and other tests being carried out reached the edge of the facility.
This all changed suddenly on a Sunday afternoon, June 28, 1992, at about 1PM when the contents of explosives storage magazine Bldg. 355 exploded. Approximately 5000 lb (2,268 kg) of stored explosives detonated, shattering windows and rattling china in the nearby neighborhoods. While the magazine accomplished its design purpose of limiting off-site damage (it was designed to hold up to 7000 lb (3,175.1 kg) safely), this did not endear the Laboratory to the neighbors, and probably contributed to the ultimate decision to close the Lab.
Base Realignment and Closure
The Base Realignment and ClosureBase Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
(BRAC) report of 1991 reduced the scope of NOL and reduced the staff to 650 persons. BRAC '93 recommended dis-establishment, and the move of the Naval Sea Systems Command
Naval Sea Systems Command
The Naval Sea Systems Command is the largest of the U.S. Navy's five "systems commands," or materiel organizations...
(NAVSEA) from leased buildings in Crystal City, Virginia
Crystal City, Virginia
Crystal City is an urban neighborhood in the southeastern corner of Arlington County, Virginia, south of downtown Washington, D.C.. Its residents can live, shop, and work without going outside, due to its extensive integration of office buildings and residential high-rise buildings using...
to White Oak.
NOL was partitioned between three existing Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) R&D Labs: NSWC Dahlgren
Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division
The United States Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division , 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...
retained the weapons systems research and associated personnel. NSWC Indian Head
Indian Head Naval Surface Weapons Center
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division is a United States naval military installation located in Charles County, Maryland....
received the explosives research, and NSWC Carderock
Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division
The Carderock Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, located in Potomac, Maryland, specializes in ship acoustics and stealth technology. Another area of focus is hydromechanics....
, formerly David Taylor Model Basin
David Taylor Model Basin
The David Taylor Model Basin is one of the largest ship model basins — test facilities for the development of ship design — in the world...
, received the basic research interests.
Ultimately though, NAVSEA had the choice of relocation sites. White Oak boasted a 9-hole golf course, hundreds of acres of woods with abundant flora and fauna, and a pleasant suburban location with existing buildings, lots of parking, good roads, shopping and housing. Although the Washington Navy Yard, in a decaying part of the city, had few such benefits to recommend it, it was nevertheless the choice NAVSEA settled on.
The General Services Administration
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. The GSA supplies products and communications for U.S...
(GSA) then took over the White Oak site, which was then available for other Government agencies, and was renamed the Federal Research Center.
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), part of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) decided to consolidate offices from various locations in the suburban Washington DC area at the White Oak campus. Currently under phased construction, the new FDA Headquarters is scheduled for completion by 2014 and will have more than 9,000 employees.The NOL employee golf course has closed.
Projects
- A World War II artilleryArtilleryOriginally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
fuseFuseThe word fuse has several meanings:* Fuse , a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current....
. - BismanolBismanolBismanol is an alloy of Bismuth, Manganese and Iron developed by the US Naval Ordnance Laboratory. It was used to make permanent magnets for use in small electric motors....
- an ironIronIron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
-manganeseManganeseManganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
alloyAlloyAn alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
(a portmanteau of BismuthBismuthBismuth is a chemical element with symbol Bi and atomic number 83. Bismuth, a trivalent poor metal, chemically resembles arsenic and antimony. Elemental bismuth may occur naturally uncombined, although its sulfide and oxide form important commercial ores. The free element is 86% as dense as lead...
+ manganeseManganeseManganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
+ NOL- the initials of the Naval Ordinance Laboratory). - Nitinol, the well known shape changing nickel-titanium alloy (a portmanteau of nickelNickelNickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
+ titaniumTitaniumTitanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
+ NOL- the initials of the Naval Ordinance Laboratory). - Hypervelocity wind tunnel testing of Space ShuttleSpace ShuttleThe Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
models for NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
.
People
People who have worked there include:- John BardeenJohn BardeenJohn Bardeen was an American physicist and electrical engineer, the only person to have won the Nobel Prize in Physics twice: first in 1956 with William Shockley and Walter Brattain for the invention of the transistor; and again in 1972 with Leon Neil Cooper and John Robert Schrieffer for a...
, the only person to win two Nobel Prizes in Physics. - John Vincent AtanasoffJohn Vincent AtanasoffJohn Vincent Atanasoff was an American physicist and inventor.The 1973 decision of the patent suit Honeywell v. Sperry Rand named him the inventor of the first automatic electronic digital computer...
, inventor of the first electronic computer, Chief of the NOL Acoustics Division. - Samuel J. Raff, nuclear physicist, electrical engineer, founding editor of the scientific journal Computers and Operations Research.
- William E. CaswellWilliam E. CaswellWilliam E. Caswell was a physicist from Silver Spring, Maryland whose pioneering work in the days of FORTRAN and punch cards demonstrated the potential of computer algebra and made major contributions to quantum gauge field theories.-Career:Caswell received his undergraduate degree in physics from...
, physicist and victim of September 11, 2001. - Henry Earl Singleton, electrical engineer, cofounder of Teledyne, Inc.
- Norm Scofield, inventor of the Scofield-Gold neutron unfolding algorithm which is a method of solving a Fredholm integral equationFredholm integral equationIn mathematics, the Fredholm integral equation is an integral equation whose solution gives rise to Fredholm theory, the study of Fredholm kernels and Fredholm operators. The integral equation was studied by Ivar Fredholm.-Equation of the first kind :...
. - Sigmund J. Jacobs, inventor of theory for the equation of state of detonation products, the Jacobs-Cowperthwaite-Zwisler(JCZ) equation. Also, was a life fellow of SMPTE for his work in high speed photo imagery. obituary Wikipedia entry describing some of his work Kamlet-Jacobs-Gleichungen Here is another document describing his work written by close colleagues Mr. Detonation Science for DOD: Sigmund J. Jacobs
- Jack W. Wise (1917–2005), worked for the White Oak Laboratory (see alumni site for the WOL below) during WWII, and for NOL from the 1940s on into the late 1960s. During the war, he worked on fuse ruggedization, ship demagnitization. Later, he worked on the Polaris Missile project. Other details uncertain. Would entertain further edits with accurate information.
- I. Lee Reed (1917–1966) worked at the Washington Naval Gun Factory during and after World War II (with a brief transfer to the Navy's new China Lake facility at Inyokern, California in 1946), and moved to NOL in 1951-52, where he was employed for the rest of his life. During the war he worked on the proximity fuse and artillery shells. At NOL he continued this work and was involved with other weapons systems, including the Polaris missile. His work occasionally took him to the testing facilities at White Sands, New Mexico and back to China Lake.
- William J. Buehler. shape memory alloy.
Alumni Association
The White Oak Laboratory Alumni Association (WOLAA) was formed as a not-for-profit alumni organization for the purpose of:- Carrying out programs to perpetuate the history, memory and accomplishments of the WOL for the United States Navy and the United States of America
- Sponsoring and participating in activities of a patriotic nature
- Perpetuating the camaraderie and memories of former WOL employees and the people who worked on site to support the WOL and its employees