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Home : Media : News
NEWS | July 30, 2019

Goggins visits Carderock’s detachment in Memphis

By By Katie Ellis-Warfield, NSWC Carderock Division Public Affairs NSWC Carderock Division

Rear Adm. David Goggins, Mike McClatchey and Capt. Cedric McNeal visited the William B. Morgan Large Cavitation Channel (LCC) in Memphis, Tennessee, on July 23, 2019. Goggins is the Program Executive Officer for Submarines; McClatchey (SES) is the director for Advanced Undersea Integration at Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA); and McNeal is the commanding officer of Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division. The LCC is a detachment of Carderock’s headquarters site in West Bethesda, Maryland.

Commissioned in 1991, the LCC is one of the world’s largest and most technically advanced high-speed, variable-pressure water-tunnel facilities. Originally used to evaluate cavitation erosion on surface ships, the LCC for the last 10 years has been home to advancing the design of submarine propulsors.

“I think it’s important for our sponsors and key stakeholders to get eyes on target for the work that’s going on across the division which also includes our remote sites, such as the LCC Memphis,” McNeal said. “The work they do is not only first class, but also critical to ensuring performance characteristics are fully understood in the design of our platforms that will take us well into the future.”

The LCC is capable of testing all types of ship and submarine propellers and propeller-hull interactions. While touring the facility, Goggins was able to see next generation submarine designs using a Very Large Test Apparatus (VLTA) being tested inside the channel.

Carderock’s Naval Architecture and Engineering Department head Mike Brown said that Goggins was able to get an appreciation during this visit of the strategic importance of keeping a facility like this operating to support future advancements in propulsor design. 

“We wanted Goggins to understand the complexity of the testing and the scale of the VLTA model and the LCC facility,” Brown said. “He was excited at the possibility to demonstrate rapid prototyping of submarine shapes and other features using large-scale 3D printing capabilities at the facility.”

“Besides being a facility to investigate performance of submarine propulsors, there is an opportunity in the future to bring in full-size or near full-size unmanned underwater vehicles to test hydro dynamic performance characteristics,” Brown said.

Presentations and discussions that day not only covered VLTA testing for the USS Virginia and Columbia-class submarine programs, but also the LCC sustainment and the potential next test facilities located at the LCC.

“It’s important for our stakeholders to understand our needs in the sustainment of our facilities; specifically what it takes for our team to be ready to deliver in supporting customer needs,” McNeal said. “It’s more than just can we support a specific event at a specific point in time, but it’s also the maintenance and upkeep to ensure our investments in machinery and equipment remain viable in supporting future demands.”

LCC Site Director Matt Brantz said that the meetings regarding the LCC’s future work were very productive and highlighted the importance of the LCC as a strategic asset for the Navy. 

“Goggins got to see firsthand that the LCC is a strategic asset for the Navy and it plays a crucial role in the development of submarine propulsion systems,” Brantz said.

“As the Navy continues to design ships and submarines in preparations for tomorrow’s fleet, it remains critically important for us to ensure technical risk areas for design and performance to requirements are mitigated using facilities such as the LCC in fielding next generation capabilities,” McNeal said.