Submarine Antenna Over-Water Arch Facility

— Building 101 —

This unusual structure was specifically designed to test submarine antennas in an environment that replicated conditions at sea. The roof contained a 93-by-66 foot concrete pool filled with seawater. The pool was six inches deep except for a well in the center that was about eighteen feet deep. Researchers conducted tests and collected data in a control room under the pool. The three tall overhead arches were made of wood to minimize radio-frequency reflections, which could cause errors in measurement.

Tests conducted here determined how well a submarine radio system would perform when communicating with satellites or the shore. During a test, an antenna was installed in the well of the pool. This simulated the conditions of a submarine at sea. A transmitting antenna mounted on a carriage moved up the middle arch, simulating different locations, from the horizon to directly overhead. Researchers could measure radio frequency signals generated between the two antennas to determine how well the submarine antenna functioned.

The two side arches were for support only. When the structure was dismantled in 1997, these side arches were reused in Newport, Rhode Island, for a new antenna over-water test facility at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center.

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