This episode of ‘hidden gems’ shines the spotlight on the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division (NWSC-PHD), part of the U.S. Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). Located at Naval Base Ventura County, NWSC-PHD is charged with providing the surface fleet with state-of-the art in-service engineering support. Just as NAWC-WD is the primary command for naval air weapons testing and evaluation (see my previous ‘gems’ note), NWSC-PHD is the primary testing and evaluation command for (sea) surface systems and system integration.

What does this mean? If means the NWSC-PHD command tests ship systems before they are allowed to deploy. It sends its civilian engineers around the world to maintain surface ship systems. And it manages cradle-to-grave logistics support for replacement, replenishment, and repairs. It’s a big job!

When you get a windshield tour of the command at Naval Base Ventura County, your tour guide is bound to drive you by a yard containing two tall steel structures meant to represent the decks of two ships separated by a ten meter void. This is where NSWC-PHD engineers refine techniques for ship-to-ship unerway replenishment. Imagine tons of gear being slung on cables from one deck to the other. Engineers test and evaluate new techniques here before they’re used to support sailors on the roiling seas. When new methods pass test and eval, there is Great Rejoicing!

Geographically, NWSC-PHD sits next to the Port of Hueneme, the only deep water port between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Sharing the port is the commercial Port of Hueneme. I’ll write more about the remarkable commercial operations there, soon. Moored on the Navy side of the port is NWSC-PHD’s Self Defense Test Ship, a Navy destroyer class ship refit to be the world’s largest drone vehicle. The Test Ship supports NSWD-PHD’s test and evaluation mission. It can be deployed onto the adjacent sea range and operated remotely (from hard facilities ashore) to test electronic warfare, electronic counter measures, and offensive and defensive weapon system. It’s an amazong Navy (and regioinal!) asset.

If there’s an at-a-distance technology (through time and space) in play today, you can be assured that NWSC-PHD is looking (or has looked) for a way that it can be used to support the mission of U.S. Navy sailors. Virtual reality, augmented reality, additive manufacturing (aka 3D printing), machine learning, and AI are all technologies that NWSC-PHD are leveraging to support their sailors.

Let me know if you have any questions about NWSC-PHD. You can find me on Mastodon, LinkedIn, and Bluesky.

#venturacounty #santabarbaracounty #sanluisobispocounty #economicdevelopment #didyouknow #civicentrepreneurship