Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division’s Tailcone Project Team was honored with the Rear Adm. Benjamin F. Isherwood Award for Exceptional Fleet Support. The team earned the award for developing an improved tailcone design that will enhance the performance of Virginia-class submarines.
The annual award recognizes outstanding fleet support by Navy engineering organizations, following the identification of a fleet performance issue. In collaboration with NAVSEA 05P and Program Executive Office Submarines (PEO SSN), Carderock engineers designed, fabricated, and tested new submarine tailcone concepts, ultimately selecting one for full-scale production.
The project built upon a year of design exploration informed by Computational Fluid Dynamics modeling and water tunnel testing. Carderock’s propulsor designers from its Naval Architecture and Engineering Department, and test engineers from its Signatures Department, leveraged limited scale model data, while fabricators from its Platform Integrity Department, executed machining, inspection and non-destructive testing. The team shipped the tailcones to the Acoustic Research Detachment (ARD) for underway testing, where analysts from both ARD and West Bethesda characterized performance and provided timely feedback to leadership.
“This project represents a significant milestone–the first time all phases of submarine propulsor [Large Scale Vehicle] component development, from hydrodynamic concept definition to mechanical design and fabrication, to testing and analysis, have been successfully executed entirely within [Carderock] facilities,” said team lead and Carderock engineer Matthew Egeland from the Naval Architecture and Engineering Department. “It underscores Carderock and ARD’s ability to rapidly respond to evolving fleet needs.”
The project required close coordination across multiple codes and organizations, along with consistent communication with leadership to address technical challenges and adapt test agendas throughout the campaign.
“We deeply appreciate this recognition of our collective efforts and are profoundly honored to receive this prestigious award,” Egeland said. “First and foremost, glory be to God. I also want to acknowledge the dozens of dedicated team members from West Bethesda, the ARD, and the Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State. Their contributions were invaluable at every stage.”
The team also credited the support of families, supervisors, and leadership. “Our leadership provided unwavering support, enabling us to continue testing and adapt to challenges,” said Egeland. “I am especially grateful to my supervisor, Devin Stewart, and our technical warrant holder, Jessica Kleist, for their exceptional leadership.”