Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory
NSMRLS Logo
Active1942-Present
Country United States of America
Branch
United 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 Center (NMRC)
Garrison/HQNew London Submarine BaseGroton, Connecticut
Commanders
Current
commander
Captain Matthew H. Jamerson

The Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory (NSMRL) is located on the New London Submarine Base in Groton, Connecticut. The laboratory's mission is to sustain the readiness and superiority of our undersea warriors through innovative health and performance research.[1][2] It is a subordinate command of the Naval Medical Research Center.[3]

History and overview

The laboratory was established during World War II to study night vision, sonar sound discrimination, and personnel selection. Today it continues in the areas of undersea warfighter health and performance, submarine atmospheric monitoring, bioeffects of underwater sound and blast, submariner psychological fitness, submarine human systems integration, diving and hyberbaric research, submarine survival, escape, and rescue, hearing conservation, and undersea health epidemiology.[1][4] Its achievements include:[1][4][5]

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.[1][6] 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.[1][6] It also has maintained close collaboration with the Royal Navy and its facilities at Alverstoke, England on several projects.[1][6] 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.[1][6] 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.[1][6]

Library

Many of the NSMRL publications have been scanned and are available online at the Rubicon Research Repository.[7][8] Other articles can be found in the DUMC Archive finding aids of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society library collection.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Daniel, JC & Lamb, J (2005). "NSMRL: A Small Command with A Huge Presence for the Submarine Force". US Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory Technical Report. NSMRL-TR-1239. Archived from the original on April 15, 2013. Retrieved 2008-07-13.((cite journal)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ NSMRL (14 February 2023). "Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory". Navy Medicine. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  3. ^ Navy Medicine (14 February 2023). "Naval Medical Research Center R&D Commands". Navy Medicine. U.S. Naval Medical Research Center. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  4. ^ a b NSMRL (14 February 2023). "Core Research and Capabilities". Navy Medicine.
  5. ^ NSMRL (14 February 2023). "History". Navy Medicine.
  6. ^ a b c d e NSMRL. "ABOUT NSMRL -- Facilities". Archived from the original on October 9, 2007. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  7. ^ NSMRL. "NSMRL publications". Archived from the original on September 14, 2007. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  8. ^ Rubicon Foundation. "NSMRL Collection". Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved 2008-07-13.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

Other external links