Edward Francis Noonan, 94, died at his home in Annapolis, MD, on June 13, 2010.
Mr. Noonan was born in New York City on June 14, 1915. He attended Regent’s High School, graduated from Manhattan College in 1937 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, and completed postgraduate work in Mechanical Engineering at New York University in 1938. He married Mary Alice Engelman in 1938 at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Staten Island, NY.
He began his career in Naval Engineering in the New York Navy Shipyard in 1937 and advanced to a position with the Navy Department in Washington, DC in 1939. In 1941, he was commissioned a Lieutenant in the Civil Engineering Corps. In 1943, he transferred to the Naval Engineering Division of the US Coast Guard and was commissioned as Lieutenant, United States Coast Guard. Following World War II, he returned to the Bureau of Ships of the Navy Department, where as head of the Vibration Research Division of BuShips, he provided in-house consulting services to various technical departments. In 1956, he was selected to join the Special Projects Office of the Bureau of Naval Weapons, which was responsible for developing the Navy’s Ballistic Missile System. Mr Noonan was a principal in the development of the Polaris Launching System which provided shock and vibration protection for the Polaris Missile. He concluded his government career as Head of the Vibration Division, Acoustics and Vibration Laboratory of the David Taylor Naval Ship Research and Development Center where he developed the laboratory program in the field of ship vibration. He was awarded two Navy Superior Civilian Service Awards for his contributions in the field of vibration in 1960 and 1965.
Mr. Noonan was co-founder and President of the engineering firm Noonan, Knopfle, and Feldman (NKF), which specialized in the study of design, full scale trials and troubleshooting in the fields of ship vibration, acoustic and hull dynamics. In 1970, the firm became a consultant for Litton Industries, and was responsible for the vibration and acoustics program pertinent to the development of the Navy’s DD 963, Spruance Class, Destroyer Program. NKF provided technical assistance in the development and design of the 125,000CM LNG (natural gas) Carriers for the El Paso Natural Gas Company from 1971-1989. The firm won a Competitive Level of Effort Contract for the US Navy in 1975 and provided technical support for NAVSEA until 1989.
Mr. Noonan served on national and international committees, including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME), the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE), the International Ship Structures Committee and the International Standards Organization. He was awarded the grade of Fellow of ASME in 1969 and Fellow of SNAME in 1987. He authored a Ship Vibration Design Guide for the International Ship Structure Committee of the US Coast Guard in 1989.
Mr. Noonan was preceded in death by his wife of 70 years, Mary Engelman Noonan, and by his grandson, Brian Noonan. He is survived by his five children, Edward G Noonan of North Fort Myers, FL, William T Noonan of Sumter, SC, Albert F Noonan of Richland, WA, Elaine Noonan Ellwood of Fairfax, VA, and Francis X Noonan of Annapolis, MD, 16 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren.
Residents of the Washington area from 1939 to 1974, Edward and Mary were members of St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Silver Spring. When they moved to Annapolis, they became members of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Edward was a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Commodore John Barry Division, and the Knights’ of Columbus, Annapolis Council 1384.
Funeral arrangements will be provided by Taylor Funeral, with a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Annapolis, MD at 11:00 AM on Thursday, June 17, 2010. Interment will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Wheaton, MD. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of the Chesapeake.
