Facilities

NA&OE student and faculty courses and research activities are supported by world-class laboratory facilities and technical support.

• Hydromechanics Laboratory
• Ship Structures Laboratory
• Surface and Underwater Robotics Facility (SURF)
• Ocean Technology Laboratory (OTL)
• Computer-Aided Design and Integrated Graphics (CADIG)
• MakerSpace
• Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) Laboratory

Hydromechanics Laboratory

The Naval Academy Hydromechanics Laboratory (NAHL) is the only facility of its kind in the world that is primarily dedicated to undergraduate education.  It includes a 380 foot towing tank, several smaller tanks, and a re-circulating water channel to test propeller and rudder design.

Additionally, the L-shaped Coastal Engineering Tank is equipped with a wave-maker where breakwaters, jetties, groins, and harbors can be designed (and their effectiveness can be evaluated).

Ship Structures Laboratory

The Ship Structures Laboratory focuses on marine structures subjected to hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads. Midshipmen majoring in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering (ENM) or Ocean Engineering (EOE) receive hands-on experience in testing and analyzing marine structures using physical and numerical tools.

Surface and Underwater Robotics Facility (SURF)

Jointly operated with the Weapons, Robotics and Control Engineering Department, the heart of the state-of-the-art capabilities in the SURF is a 40'x38'x16' temperature-controlled pool.  The pool is outfitted with 16 underwater motion capture cameras, complemented by a synchronized above water motion capture system. The twin motion capture systems are co-calibrated to simultaneously track objects in the air, on the surface, underwater, and through domain transitions.

Ocean Technology Laboratory (OTL)

A workshop exclusively for Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering students, equipped with ROVs, various types of ocean sensors, doppler velocity logs, subsea modems, even UAVs for coastal surveys. 

Computer-Aided Design and Integrated Graphics (CADIG)

CADIG is a technical resource unit for Engineering and Weapons Division computer-aided engineering (CAE), computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) applications and processes pertaining to classroom education and academic research.

MakerSpace USNA

MakerSpace USNA is a 3D printing laboratory space providing 3D printing capability for classroom and laboratory instruction as well as project support for students, faculty, and staff at USNA.  NA&OE students regularly make use of this capability for Capstone projects.

Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) Laboratory

Established in Summer 2022, USNA's Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) Laboratory serves as a dedicated research space for USNA students and faculty to learn more about systems engineering concepts, principles, practices, and applications.  The primary mission of the MBSE Laboratory is to leverage "systems thinking" and computational tools to develop innovative solutions for complex naval engineering problems.