History of the Navy test facility in Bayview, Idaho

For more than 50 years, the U.S. Navy has used the deep and quiet waters of Lake Pend Oreille to test the acoustical properties of submarines, surface ships and their propulsion systems. Although the facility has invited visitors over the years, it is still a secure military installation where most of their large scale vehicles are kept indoors, away from prying eyes.

Section:Gallery

Tue., April 9, 2019

1993 – With the submarine Kokanee as a backdrop, a new commander took over the U.S. Navy’s Acoustic Research Detachment in Bayview, Idaho.

Christopher Anderson The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
1987 – A train rolled into Dover, Idaho, carrying the shrouded submarine Kokanee. The 90-foot research vessel was destined for the U.S. Navy’s Acoustic Research Detachment facility in Bayview, Idaho.

Christopher Anderson The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
1972 – The Kamloops, a 70-foot, 3.5-ton research submarine, returned to the U.S. Navy’s Acoustic Research Detachment facility in Bayview, Idaho, after four months at a shipyard in California. The sub was used for testing flow, structural strength, vibration characteristics and underwater acoustics in Lake Pend Oreille.
1967 – The Kamloops, a 70-foot, 3.5-ton research submarine, was unloaded at the Naval Ship Research and Development Center Test Facility in Bayview, Idaho, after being shipped from Carderock, Maryland. The sub was used for testing flow, structural strength, vibration characteristics and underwater acoustics in Lake Pend Oreille.

Ed Gilkey Cowles Publishing
1967 – The Kamloops, a 70-foot, 3.5-ton research submarine, was introduced to Lake Pend Oreille from the Naval Ship Research and Development Center Test Facility in Bayview, Idaho. The sub, sent on its way in a ribbon-cutting ceremony, was used for testing flow, structural strength, vibration characteristics and underwater acoustics.
1997 – Students from Athol Elementary School lined up for an unveiling of the keel that would be laid in the Cutthroat, a scale model submarine which they named, during a ceremony at the U.S. Navy’s Acoustic Research Detachment facility in Bayview, Idaho.

Liz Kishimoto The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
2005 – U.S. Navy Cmdr. Dave Kohnke addressed a crowd in front of a scale model destroyer at the Acoustic Research Detachment facility in Bayview, Idaho. The research vessel was used to test jet propulsion and stealth technology, among other capabilities.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
1996 – Crowds got a rare opportunity to tour the U.S. Navy’s Acoustic Research Detachment facility in Bayview, Idaho, for a 50th anniversary celebration. Kids and adults were fascinated by the high-tech equipment used to develop stealth submarines, like this boat that pulls microphones underwater.

Craig Buck The Spokesman-Review
1993 – More than 200 people showed up at the U.S. Navy’s Acoustic Research Detachment facility in Bayview, Idaho, to see the Kokanee, a 90-foot unmanned submarine used for acoustic research.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo