Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division
Encyclopedia
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.
NSWCDD consists of two organizations: The NSWC Dahlgren Lab (NSWCDL) in Dahlgren, Virginia
and the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dam Neck (NSWCDN), in Virginia Beach, Virginia
. NSWCDD employs approximately 2400 scientist
s & engineer
s at the Dalhgren organization. Prior to 2007, Panama City Coastal Systems Station located at the Naval Support Activity Panama City
was part of Dahlgren Division. As of 2008 it became its own division within the Naval Surface Warfare Centers.
The physical base where NSWCDD is located became officially known the Naval Support Activity South Potomac (NSASP) ca. 2003. The name NSWCDD or NSWC is still commonly used to refer to the base. The base commander is no longer a secondary function of the Commander of NSWCDD.
A tenant command located aboard the base is Joint Warfare Analysis Center
. Another tenant command located aboard the base is involved in the training and development for the Aegis Combat System, and training and development for other future shipboard combat systems.
The base is recognized by the Census Bureau as a census-designated place
(CDP), Dahlgren Center. Its population as of the 2010 Census
was 599. It's entirely distinct from Dahlgren CDP, to the west.
, chemistry
, mathematics
, laser
and computer technology, chemical, mechanical, electrical and systems engineering
, physics
and computer science
. Distinguished figures who have worked for the NSWCDD include physicists Albert Einstein
, Edward Teller
, Carl Norden
, and computer pioneers Howard Aiken
and Grace Hopper
.
Engineering projects of historical or military significance developed at NSWC Dahlgren include the triggering device on the Hiroshima atomic bomb
, the Norden Bombsight
used on most American bombers such as the B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator
and B-29 Superfortress
during World War II
, the Standard missile
used on modern United States Navy
warships, the warhead for the AIM-54 Phoenix
, and the coining of the term computer bug due to a moth
that shorted a vacuum tube
array in one of the first computer
s constructed. Current projects include the majority of US research into railgun
technology and weapons integration for the Littoral combat ship
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), named for Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren
John A. Dahlgren
John Adolphus Bernard Dahlgren was a United States Navy leader. He headed the Union Navy's ordnance department during the American Civil War and designed several different kinds of guns and cannons that were considered part of the reason the Union won the war...
, is located in Dahlgren, Virginia
Dahlgren, Virginia
Dahlgren is a census-designated place in King George County, Virginia, United States. The population was 997 at the 2000 census. The community is located within the Northern Neck George Washington Birthplace American Viticultural Area winemaking appellation established by the United States...
and is part of 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...
. 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
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
battleship HMS Dreadnought
HMS Dreadnought (1906)
HMS Dreadnought was a battleship of the British Royal Navy that revolutionised naval power. Her entry into service in 1906 represented such a marked advance in naval technology that her name came to be associated with an entire generation of battleships, the "dreadnoughts", as well as the class of...
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.
NSWCDD consists of two organizations: The NSWC Dahlgren Lab (NSWCDL) in Dahlgren, Virginia
Dahlgren, Virginia
Dahlgren is a census-designated place in King George County, Virginia, United States. The population was 997 at the 2000 census. The community is located within the Northern Neck George Washington Birthplace American Viticultural Area winemaking appellation established by the United States...
and the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dam Neck (NSWCDN), in Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. NSWCDD employs approximately 2400 scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
s & engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
s at the Dalhgren organization. Prior to 2007, Panama City Coastal Systems Station located at the Naval Support Activity Panama City
Naval Support Activity Panama City
The United States Naval Support Activity Panama City , is located just outside Panama City, Florida and is a United States Navy military base. It is located within Bay County. Among other commands, it houses Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division and the Navy Experimental Diving Unit...
was part of Dahlgren Division. As of 2008 it became its own division within the Naval Surface Warfare Centers.
The physical base where NSWCDD is located became officially known the Naval Support Activity South Potomac (NSASP) ca. 2003. The name NSWCDD or NSWC is still commonly used to refer to the base. The base commander is no longer a secondary function of the Commander of NSWCDD.
A tenant command located aboard the base is Joint Warfare Analysis Center
Joint Warfare Analysis Center
Joint Warfare Analysis Center is a subordinate command of United States Joint Forces Command that contributes to United States national security by recommending strategic technical solutions. JWAC has evolved from a small program office into a joint command of more than 500 personnel...
. Another tenant command located aboard the base is involved in the training and development for the Aegis Combat System, and training and development for other future shipboard combat systems.
The base is recognized by the Census Bureau as a census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP), Dahlgren Center. Its population as of the 2010 Census
United States Census, 2010
The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census of the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating individuals...
was 599. It's entirely distinct from Dahlgren CDP, to the west.
Research
NSWCDD conducts basic research in all systems-related areas and pursues scientific disciplines including biotechnologyBiotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
, chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
and computer technology, chemical, mechanical, electrical and systems engineering
Systems engineering
Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering that focuses on how complex engineering projects should be designed and managed over the life cycle of the project. Issues such as logistics, the coordination of different teams, and automatic control of machinery become more...
, physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
. Distinguished figures who have worked for the NSWCDD include physicists Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
, Edward Teller
Edward Teller
Edward Teller was a Hungarian-American theoretical physicist, known colloquially as "the father of the hydrogen bomb," even though he did not care for the title. Teller made numerous contributions to nuclear and molecular physics, spectroscopy , and surface physics...
, Carl Norden
Carl Norden
Carl Lucas Norden , born Carel Lucas van Norden, was an American engineer widely known for having invented the Norden bombsight....
, and computer pioneers Howard Aiken
Howard Aiken
Howard Hathaway Aiken was a pioneer in computing, being the original conceptual designer behind IBM's Harvard Mark I computer....
and Grace Hopper
Grace Hopper
Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper was an American computer scientist and United States Navy officer. A pioneer in the field, she was one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer, and developed the first compiler for a computer programming language...
.
Engineering projects of historical or military significance developed at NSWC Dahlgren include the triggering device on the Hiroshima atomic bomb
Little Boy
"Little Boy" was the codename of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 by the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbets of the 393rd Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, of the United States Army Air Forces. It was the first atomic bomb to be used as a weapon...
, the Norden Bombsight
Norden bombsight
The Norden bombsight was a tachometric bombsight used by the United States Army Air Forces and the United States Navy during World War II, and the United States Air Force in the Korean and the Vietnam Wars to aid the crew of bomber aircraft in dropping bombs accurately...
used on most American bombers such as the B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
and B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Standard missile
Standard missile
Standard Missile can refer to a family of several different American missiles:* RIM-66 Standard , a medium range surface-to-air missile, the successor of the RIM-24 Tartar missile...
used on modern United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
warships, the warhead for the AIM-54 Phoenix
AIM-54 Phoenix
The AIM-54 Phoenix is a radar-guided, long-range air-to-air missile , carried in clusters of up to six missiles on F-14 Tomcats, its only launch platform. The Phoenix was the United States' only long-range air-to-air missile. The weapons system based on Phoenix was the world's first to allow...
, and the coining of the term computer bug due to a moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
that shorted a vacuum tube
Vacuum tube
In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , or thermionic valve , reduced to simply "tube" or "valve" in everyday parlance, is a device that relies on the flow of electric current through a vacuum...
array in one of the first computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s constructed. Current projects include the majority of US research into railgun
Railgun
A railgun is an entirely electrical gun that accelerates a conductive projectile along a pair of metal rails using the same principles as the homopolar motor. Railguns use two sliding or rolling contacts that permit a large electric current to pass through the projectile. This current interacts...
technology and weapons integration for the Littoral combat ship
Littoral combat ship
A Littoral Combat Ship is a type of relatively small surface vessel intended for operations in the littoral zone . It is "envisioned to be a networked, agile, stealthy surface combatant capable of defeating anti-access and asymmetric threats in the littorals." Two ship classes are the first...
.