the subcommittee was organized in March 1927. Later that year, he was made chairman of the Subcommittee on Aerodynamics. Long recognized as an international authority on naval architecture and marine engineering. Taylor applied the principles of hydrodynamics to the problem of aerodynamics. Following this new field of aviation, Taylor became one of the foremost authorities in the world in aerodynamics. He specialized on problems connected with the design of aircraft propellers and of seaplane floats and flying-boat hulls. In 1931, Taylor was awarded the John Fritz Medal, the highest honor of the American engineering profession, "for outstanding achievement in marine architecture, for revolutionary results of persistent research in hull design, for improvements in many types of warships and for distinguished service as chief constructor for the United States Navy during the World War." Later life and death Shortly before his death, the navy's Research and Development community honored Taylor by naming its new model basin after him. The new model basin constructed at Carderock, Maryland, the finest facility of its kind in the world, was dedicated as the David Taylor Model Basin in his presence in 1939. The Model Basin retains his name as a living memorial to this distinguished naval architect and marine engineer. Taylor died in Washington, D.C., on July 28, 1940. Legacy Taylor was influential in the development of the United States Navy's superiority. In addition to the Model Basin, the Navy has honored Taylor's legacy in several ways. In 1942 the destroyer David W. Taylor (DD-551) was named in his honor. The Navy's David W. Taylor Award recognizes outstanding scientific achievement, awarded for a contribution to the development of future maritime systems through the creation of technology based upon research. In 1907 he was conferred with Honorary Membership of the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland. The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers awards the David W. Taylor Medal for "notable achievement in naval architecture and/or marine engineering." The SS President Cleveland was intended to be named USS Admiral D. W. Taylor. References External links Navy biography of David Taylor Arlington National Cemetery 1864 births 1940 deaths Military personnel from Virginia United States Navy personnel of World War I Graduates of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich People from Louisa County, Virginia Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy admirals John Fritz Medal recipients American naval architects