Seneca LaKe Sonar Test Facility

The Seneca Lake Sonar Test Facility at Dresden, NY is a field station of the Naval Sea Systems Command. The Test Facilities and Operations Division of the Engineering Test and Evaluation Department manage the test facility.The facility performs test and evaluation of equipment ranging from single element transducers to complex sonar arrays and systems. This world-class facility is particularly well-known for its massive lift and power capabilities. All sonar and acoustic testing is carried out by a staff of highly qualified acoustic testing professionals on systems and equipment of all sizes. For example, an entire sonar suite (mounted in its sonar compartment) has been tested at Seneca Lake.Seneca Lake is the Navy's primary active instrumented calibration and test facility. Located in a deep freshwater lake and open all year, the facility conducts all types of research and development. It is also world-renowned for its testing and evaluation of major projects requiring relatively deep water with fixed underwater geometry with heavy load-handling and/or electrical power capabilities.There is easy access to the test facility by several major highways. It is within an hour's travel time of either Syracuse or Rochester airports in Western New York State. Large test items or systems may be brought to Seneca Lake from the Atlantic Ocean or the Great Lakes via the New York Barge Canal System. The canal system can accommodate barges up to 12.2-m (40-ft) wide and 61-m (200-ft) long.Two instrumented test barges, the System Measurement Platform (SMP) and Remote Calibration Platform (RCP), are the primary measurement and calibration resources for the facility. The facility can accommodate all other test and calibration equipment deemed necessary, as there is an abundance of power, handling capability, and room to support all special requirements. The SMP is permanently moored near the center of lake approximately 2.6-Km (1.3 miles) from the western shore. Transit to the SMP takes approximately 5 minutes from shore.Two equipment-handling barge and numerous transport boats serve the test facility.The Facility has the potential to handle test fixtures, systems, or equipment weighing up to 200-Mg (200-ton). Such equipment can be lowered on pipe shafting and rotated in azimuth down to water depths of 153-m (502-ft).