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History-Making Oceanographer and Ret. Navy Captain Dies at 92

Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Don Walsh, best known for his daring dive to the deepest spot on Earth, nearly 36,000 feet below the ocean’s surface, has died at age 92. Walsh was a co-pilot of the Trieste bathyscaphe, a deep submergence vehicle acquired by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in 1958. Two years later, on January 23, 1960, Walsh and Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard, son of the inventor of the bathyscaphe, became the first humans to descend into the Challenger Deep, located in the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench. “ONR sponsored the Trieste, but it was then-Lt. Don Walsh who made the very daring decision to make the first descent into the deepest spot of the earth’s ocean. Walsh was a Navy officer, a submariner, an adventurer, and an oceanographer. To his family, we extend our deepest condolences and gratitude for allowing him to explore, and share his extraordinary experiences and knowledge with us,” said Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus.

November 16, 2023

Undersea Signal Processing

The goal of the Office of Naval Research's Undersea Signal Processing program is to develop signal processing algorithms that improve the Navy's ability to detect, identify and locate submarines in shallow and deep ocean environments.

March 18, 2022

Unmanned Capabilities Front and Center During Naval Exercise

During a visit to San Diego for the U.S. Pacific Fleet-led Unmanned Integrated Battle Problem 21, Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Lorin Selby said America’s growing focus on autonomous capabilities is showing impressive results.

April 22, 2021

Electric Boat Competition Sparks Interest in Naval Science Careers

Student engineering teams from Princeton, Washington College and the University of Alabama have won first place in their respective events at the “Promoting Electric Propulsion” (PEP) boat races, sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE). In just six years, this electric boat-building competition has grown from a single university to 34, with more than 200 students who took part in the five-mile races on Broad Bay in Virginia Beach. Dr. Steve Russell, program officer, Sea Warfare and Weapons department, said he launched the PEP competition with a colleague from ASNE, Dr. Leigh McCue, and Tim Cullis, Naval Sea Warfare Center Carderock, after seeing a public race by local hobbyists in the Chesapeake Bay.

April 22, 2024

Operational Endurance from Environmental Carbon

The Office of Naval Research's Operational Endurance from Environmental Carbon program seeks technology development to support sustainable carbon neutral operational energy processes and materials for U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps needs.

March 18, 2022

Undersea Weapons Program

The Office of Naval Research Undersea Weapons Program develops technologies for current and next-generation, offensive and defensive weapons capable of engaging submarines, surface ships and threat torpedoes.

March 18, 2022

Thermal Science and Engineering

The Office of Naval Research's Thermal Science and Engineering program advances thermal science through fundamental studies of multi-phase heat transfer, fluid dynamics and nanostructured materials.

March 18, 2022

Electric Power Components and Systems

The Office of Naval Research's Electric Power Components and Systems program supports the Navy’s interest in advanced naval power and energy systems research and technology.

March 18, 2022

Advanced Power and Energy for Undersea Applications

The Office of Naval Research's Advanced Power and Energy for Undersea Applications program aims to develop component, subsystem and system technologies for advanced high-energy density and power density propulsion systems, and enabling increased endurance and reliability in an air-independent environment.

March 18, 2022

Expeditionary Energy

The Office of Naval Research's Expeditionary Energy program seeks breakthrough technologies to support the future of hybrid and expeditionary warfare.

March 18, 2022