NSWC Carderock

Testing at Carderock

A ship hull model attached to a high-speed sled moves through waves at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Carderock's David Taylor Model Basin, in West Bethesda, Md., during Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored research. The purpose of the research is to study the fundamental physics of the water-impact of high-speed planing hulls and to measure the slamming loads and resulting motions of the craft upon re-entry into the water which can cause structural damage and injury to passengers.

Bird's Eye View of Carderock

Aerial image of Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division and the David Taylor Model Basin in West Bethesda, Maryland.

Maneuvering and Seakeeping Basin (MASK)

Birds eye view of the wave maker in action at the ribbon cutting ceremony marking the re-opening of Carderock's upgraded Maneuvering & Seakeeping (MASK) basin at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division.

The command provides cradle-to-grave support for its technical products over a variety of scientific areas related to surface and undersea platforms.

West Bethesda Headquarters

A wide shot of Bldg. 1 at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division in West Bethesda, Md., on Oct. 19, 2023.

International Human-Powered Submarine Race (ISR)

Navy divers from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technical Division at Indian Head, Md., assist student teams with their human-powered submarines during the 13th International Human-Powered Submarine Race (ISR) being held in the David Taylor Model Basin at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division. ISR is a unique international engineering design competition that inspires high school and college-age students of the various engineering disciplines to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

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NSWC Carderock Division News

(WEST BETHESDA, Md.) — A soot-covered model of an A-6 Intruder recovered from the Pentagon following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack is preserved by the Department of the Navy Ship Model Program at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division. The personally owned model, bearing the name CDR Boxman Wood beneath its canopy, was recovered from an office near the impact zone by Carderock curator Dana Wegner. Wegner applied a fixative to preserve the soot and smoke damage as part of the artifact’s history. The model has remained largely unaltered for nearly 25 years, serving as a tangible connection to the attack and the 184 lives lost at the Pentagon.

The Intruder on the Edge of the Breach

By Jonathan Thompson, Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division Public Affairs | Sept. 10, 2026

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, at 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, claiming the lives of 184 people. In the immediate, chaotic aftermath – just a day after the hijacked plane’s wreckage was...

(OKINAWA, Japan) — Engineers from Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division’s Manufacturing Attritable Systems at Scale (MASS) team provide coxswain operational USV training for III MEF Marines at Valiant Shield 26 in July 2026. During the exercise, Carderock engineers established a manufacturing lab and trained Marines to manufacture 3- and 7-meter Foam Raiding Craft (FRC) platforms, expanding their experience from production through operation.

Carderock MASS Team Takes Rapid Manufacturing to the Warfighter at Valiant Shield 26

By Alisha Tyer, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division Public Affairs | Aug. 27, 2026

During exercise Valiant Shield 26, Carderock’s Manufacturing Attritable Systems at Scale (MASS) team worked alongside Marines with Intermediate Repair Company, 3rd Maintenance Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, to...

Collin Morr, left, Brianna Ellis and Zoey Shepard observe their senior capstone model in the David Taylor Model Basin at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division in West Bethesda, Maryland. Through the STEM Student Employment Program (SSEP), the Florida Institute of Technology students designed, fabricated and tested the model while working alongside Carderock engineers.

SSEP Students Turn Classroom Design into Hands-On Engineering at Carderock

By Alisha Tyer, NSWC Carderock Division Public Affairs | Aug. 26, 2026

Three Florida Institute of Technology students spent their summer at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division chasing a number: 34%. That’s how much additional range their destroyer hull design needed to achieve,...

Carderock Engineer Helps Inspire Future Maritime Innovators Through Underwater Robotics Competition

By Brittny Odoms, NSWC Carderock Division Public Affairs | Aug. 18, 2026

While supporting the U.S. Navy's mission as an ocean engineer at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division’s Hull Response and Protection Branch (Code 664), James Duval also volunteers beneath the surface to help...

Leadership Through Service: NSWC Carderock Security Director Brings Military Values to Every Mission

By By Brittny Odoms, NSWC Carderock Division Public Affairs | Aug. 10, 2026

For Cory Hoffman, the new director of security at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, leadership begins with trust.Since joining Carderock in April 2020 as deputy security director before assuming his current...

NSWC Carderock Division
9500 MacArthur Blvd.
West Bethesda, MD 20817-5700