Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory

U.S. Navy research unit for submarine and diving medicine
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Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory
NSMRLS Logo
Active1942-Present
Country United States of America
BranchUnited States Navy Seal United States Navy
RoleNSMRL is the primary source of submarine medicine and safety information for the U.S. Navy.
Part ofNaval Medical Research Command (NMRC)
Garrison/HQNew London Submarine BaseGroton, Connecticut
Commanders
Current
commander
Captain Matthew H. Jamerson
Military unit

The Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory (NSMRL) is located on the New London Submarine Base in Groton, Connecticut.[1] It is a subordinate command of the Naval Medical Research Command.[2]

History and overview

NSMRL was established during World War II with a three-fold mission: select personnel for training in the Naval Submarine School; instruct hospital corpsmen and medical officers in submarine medicine, and research the medical aspects of submarine and diving operations, including night and color vision, human engineering, and personnel selection. Today NSMRL's core research and capabilities include undersea warfighter health and performance, submarine atmospheric monitoring, bioeffects of underwater sound and blast, submariner psychological fitness, submarine human systems integration, diving and hyperbaric research, submarine survival, escape, and rescue, hearing conservation, and undersea health research.[3][4]

NSMRL is located in Groton, Connecticut near the mouth of the Thames River and Long Island Sound.

Facilities

The NSMRL auditory laboratory includes a large, 1,000 m3 anechoic chamber.[3][5] The suspended cable floor and fiberglass wedges provide an "echo-free" environment that is essential for efforts on spatialized auditory displays and transducer evaluation. Additionally, there are ten instrumented sound-proof booths and a reverberant room. These facilities are integral to the work on human-machine interfaces, combat systems displays, hearing conservation, audio signal enhancement, noise reduction techniques, and diver hearing.

The laboratory has a 142 m3 enclosed atmosphere testing environment and facilities for cardiopulmonary and metabolic workload assessment.[3][5] It also has maintained close collaboration with the Royal Navy and its facilities at Alverstoke, England on several projects.[3][5] NSMRL's diving research program is supported by a saturation diving chamber certified to pressures simulating 350 fsw and a fully instrumented hyperbaric treatment chamber.[3][5] Both chambers are capable of supporting multi-diver teams and associated medical, physiological, and exercise equipment. The laboratory also maintains an enclosed 25-foot Boston Whaler equipped with GPS and radar to support open water diving research.[3][5]

NSMRL Officers in Charge


CAPT Charles W. Shilling, MC, USN Jan 1942 - Sept 1947
CAPT Thomas L. Willmon, MC, USN Sept 1947 - Aug 1951
CDR Gerald J. Duffner, MC, USN Aug 1951 - Sept 1956
CAPT Joseph Vogel, MC, USN Sept 1956 - May 1959
CAPT George F. Bond, MC, USN May 1959 - June 1964
CDR Earl H. Ninow, MC, USN (Acting) July 1964 - Nov 1964
CAPT Walter F. Mazzone, MSC, USN (Acting) Dec 1964 - July 1965
LCDR Paul G. Linaweaver, MC, USN Oct 1965 - Feb 1966
CAPT Jack L. Kinsey, MC, USN (Ret) (Acting) Feb 1966 - July 1967
CAPT Charles F. Gell, MC, USN (Ret) (Acting) July 1967 - July 1968
CDR Joseph D. Bloom, MSC, USN Aug 1968 - July 1972
CAPT John H. Baker, MC, USN July 1972 - May 1973
CAPT Raymond L. Sphar, MC, USN (Acting) June 1973 - July 1973
CAPT Raymond L. Sphar, MC, USN July 1973 - Dec 1974

NSMRL Commanding Officers


CAPT Raymond L. Sphar, MC, USN Dec 1974 - June 1978
CAPT Robert A. Margulies, MC, USN June 1978 - Aug 1981
CAPT William C. Milroy, MC, USN Aug 1981 - Aug 1985
CAPT Claude C. Harvey, MC, USN Aug 1985 - Aug 1989
CAPT Robert G. Walter, DC, USN Aug 1989 - Oct 1992
CAPT Paul K. Weathersby, MSC, USN Oct 1992 - Aug 1994
CDR Stephen F. Blacke, MSC, USN Aug 1994 - July 1995
CAPT Robert G. Walter, DC, USN July 1995 - Aug 1997
CAPT Mark T. Wooster, MSC, USN Aug 1997 - July 1999
CAPT Michael D. Curley, MSC, USN July 1999 - July 2002
CAPT Garry A. Higgins, MSC, USN July 2002 - Oct 2004
CAPT J. Christopher Daniel, MC, USN Oct 2004 - Sept 2006
CAPT David G. Southerland, MC, USN Sept 2006 - Sept 2009
CAPT Paul C. Kelleher, MC, USN Sept 2009 - June 2012
CAPT Steven M. Wechsler, MC, USN June 2012 - May 2015
CAPT Frederick E. Yeo, MC, USN May 2015 - Aug 2018
CAPT Kim L. Lefebvre, MSC, USN Aug 2018 - Aug 2020
CAPT Katharine K. Shobe, MSC, USN Aug 2020 - Jul 2022
CAPT Matthew H. Jamerson, MSC, USN Jul 2022 - Present

See also

References

  1. ^ NSMRL (14 February 2023). "Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory". Navy Medicine. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  2. ^ Navy Medicine (14 February 2023). "Naval Medical Research Center R&D Commands". Navy Medicine. U.S. Naval Medical Research Center. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f NSMRL (October 2022). "History". Navy Medicine. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  4. ^ NSMRL (14 February 2023). "Core Research and Capabilities". Navy Medicine.
  5. ^ a b c d e NSMRL. "Core Research and Capabilities". Navy Medicine. Retrieved April 5, 2023.

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