NOAA Ships and Their Missions
Geographic Distribution of Ships
Mission Descriptions
Detailed Ship Information
NOAA operates 18 ships that conduct Fisheries Research, Oceanographic and Atmospheric Research, and Charting and Hydrography. The ships are based at one of the two Marine Operations Centers in Norfolk, Virginia, and Seattle, Washington, or at one of the five port offices located in Woods Hole, Massachusetts; Charleston, South Carolina; Pascagoula, Mississippi; San Diego, California; and Honolulu, Hawaii.
Detailed information about each ship may be found at OMAO's Marine Operations Center Web site. Clicking the link on the ships' individual names below will also take you the the Marine Operations Center Web site.
General Shipboard Policy Information contains useful information about ship policies, procedures, drills, etc. Some individual ship's pages also have further information for visiting scientists about life aboard ship. One site supported by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center has a very useful manual for cruise volunteers and first-time sailors about life at sea.
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Geographic Distribution of Ships
East Coast: Henry B. Bigelow, Ronald H. Brown, Delaware II, Nancy Foster, Gordon Gunter, Thomas Jefferson, Okeanos Explorer, Oregon II, and Pisces
Gulf Of Mexico: Nancy Foster, Gordon Gunter, Oregon II, and Pisces
West Coast: Oscar Dyson, Fairweather, Miller Freeman, Hi'ialakai, Ka'imimoana, McArthur II, Rainier, Oscar Elton Sette, and Bell. M. Shimada
Hawaii: Hi'ialakai, Ka'imimoana and Oscar Elton Sette
Alaska: Fairweather, Miller Freeman, Oscar Dyson, and Rainier
World Wide: Ronald H. Brown and Okeanos Explorer
Mission Descriptions
Fisheries research ships perform biological and physical science studies in support of fisheries research. These ships support NOAA's mission to protect, restore and manage the use of living marine, coastal, and ocean resources through ecosystem-based management. The ships also observe weather, sea state, and other environmental conditions, conducts habitat assessments, and survey marine mammal and marine bird populations. They are generally underway performing research on a 24-hour basis in the open ocean. The ships conducting fisheries research are Henry B. Bigelow, Delaware II, Oscar Dyson, Nancy Foster, Miller Freeman, Gordon Gunter, Hi'ialakai, McArthur II, Oregon II, Oscar Elton Sette, and Bell. M. Shimada.
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Oceanographic and atmospheric ships perform physical science studies in support of scientific studies to increase our understanding of the world's oceans and climate. The ships deploy, recover, and service deep sea moorings around the globe that measure ocean currents, ocean temperatures, and atmospheric variables. They also continuously measure upper ocean currents, surface salinity, carbon dioxide content, and sea-level atmospheric conditions while underway. The ships are generally underway performing research on a 24-hour basis in the open ocean. The ships conducting oceanographic research are Ronald H. Brown, Nancy Foster, Hi'ialakai, Ka'imimoana, McArthur II, and Okeanos Explorer.
Hydrographic survey ships' main mission is to map the ocean floor for safe navigation. Activities include echosounding, tide gauge installation, dive operations, shoreside surveying, shoreline verification and mapping, data processing, and drafting. With the addition of a shallow-water multibeam system, the ships are now able to collect survey data simultaneously with the launches, and small boats are deployed to assist with shore support operations. Small boat and survey launch work are conducted during daylight operations, whereas ship operations may occur during the day or night. Teachers can anticipate assisting with the acquisition of survey data on survey launches, scanning data to assist with the final processing of data, and riding on small support boats to help with the installation of shore positioning stations and tide gauges. The ships conducting charting and hydrographic work are Fairweather, Thomas Jefferson, and Rainier.
Multi-mission ships perform a combination of the above missions depending on the particular study. Multi-mission ships inlcude Nancy Foster, Hi'ialakai, McArthur II, and Okeanos Explorer (whose main mission is ocean exploration).
Please consider the ship's activities carefully when selecting a cruise. You are likely to gain more from the experience when the research activities bear some relation to your own interests.
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Detailed Ship Information
For detailed information about the ships and the many different missions they support, please visit the OMAO Marine Operations Center Web site. Here you will find descriptions of the ships and gain access to their contact information.
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