The Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division’s South Florida Ocean Measurement Facility (SFOMF) is located on the south side of Port Everglades inlet in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This site has housed an active, continuously operating Navy range for more than 50 years. SFOMF is a member of the Naval Sea Systems Command team and falls under the cognizance of the Naval Surface Warfare Center.
Transferred from NSWC Dahlgren Division, the facility came under the direction of the NSWCCD in 1994. The main mission of SFOMF is to perform electromagnetic signature tests of Navy assets by providing the ability to monitor surface ship, submarine, and remote vehicle signatures in the near shore environment. Multiple fixed, in-water electromagnetic and acoustic measurement sites at various depths are controlled from a secure range house. The range encompasses the Navy's only shallow and deep water electromagnetic research and development ranges, and accommodates both surface and submerged operations.
In addition, SFOMF offers a means to test and evaluate mine detection, countermeasures and mine response; perform acoustic measurements; and acquire radar cross section and infrared signatures. Surface and submerged tracking are available on this controlled range. Bottom mounted acoustic Doppler current profilers; conductivity, temperature and depth sensor, and an on shore metrological site provide continuous, current monitoring of environmental data of interest for the customer. There are also deep and shallow water multiplexers on the range, allowing for installation of additional sensors on an "as needed" basis without the large expense of running new cables.
Lastly, SFOMF takes advantage of its close proximity to the Atlantic’s Gulf Stream current, an in-depth knowledge of the ocean’s bottom, a wide array of instrumentation, including remotely operated vehicles and a vast experience in ocean engineering to assist the test director in reaching mission success in the waters off of Fort Lauderdale.
South Florida Ocean Measurement Facility,
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division
91 North Beach Rd.
Dania Beach, FL 33004-3035