330-PSA-135-61 (USN 7109013):  Master Caption:  Man-made Ocean Dedicated at David Taylor Model Basin.  The push of a button by Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research and Development James H. Wakelin, Jr., opened the door to the maneuvering and seakeeping facilities at the David Taylor Model Basin, putting into operations the largest simulated ocean in the world.  The huge building covers five acres and houses not only the “ocean” but also a rotating arm basin 260 feet in diameter.  The availability of these facilities marks a major advance in the Navy’s ability to predict full scale performance of waterborne vehicles in realistic seas and to solve complex problems of their stability and control.  The U.S. Navy’s Model Basins have been predicting performance of ships for more than sixty years by means of model tests.  These two new research facilities will afford the opportunity to run tests in variable and confused seas which more nearly resemble the actual ocean conditions and at any angle to the waves and to execute many maneuvers designed to test handling qualities of the ship which formally could not be run in the confines of the existing facilities.  Ships of the future will be designed for much higher speeds than existing ones.  Means must be discussed to enable these ships to meet and ride out the roughest seas without severe damage to ship or cargo, to execute all kinds of evasive maneuvers, or to serve as a stable platform for launching guided missiles or aircraft.  June 20, 1961 was selected to dedicate these facilities because it makes the 21st birthday of the Bureau of Ships, which was formed in 1940 from the merger of the Bureau of Engineering and the Bureau of Construction and Repairs.   Shown is a confused sea test at the David Taylor Model Basin.  Photograph released June 20, 1961.  (9/22/2015).
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