David Taylor Model Basin

The David Taylor Model Basin Building is 3200 feet long and houses three unique independent towing basin test facilities: the Shallow Water Basin, the Deep Water Basin, and the High Speed Basin. These model towing basins are among the largest and the best in the world. The seakeeping qualities and propulsion characteristics of models in head and following seas are determined in the Deep Water and High Speed Basins with wavemakers which are capable of producing either uniform or irregular waves.

These three Towing Basins are used for a wide variety of hydrodynamic tests including: resistance, self-propulsion, static stability in calm water, open water propeller characterizations, self-propelled model steering maneuvers, unsteady propeller blade force measurements, wake surveys, knot-meter calibrations under simulated dynamic conditions, vertical and horizontal planar motion experiments, hydrodynamic forces on submerged bodies, foils, etc., towed body experiments, and longitudinal wave cut experiments. The High Speed Basin is used to measure hydrodynamic forces on hydrofoils, planing boats, and other high speed craft operating in calm water and in waves. The water level in the Shallow Water Basin can be varied to simulate rivers, canals, and restricted channels.