Shipshape - Summer 2023

NOAA’s fleet of 15 research and survey ships are used for various scientific research efforts. The ships–and the officers and crew on board–provide mission support to scientists from various NOAA offices, as well as the academic community. That’s why one of the priorities for NOAA is to ensure that our ships are in peak working condition and can meet the agency’s needs.

NOAA has selected Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors, LLC to initially design and build two cutting-edge research vessels, with an option to purchase two more. The new ships will focus primarily on ocean mapping and nautical charting as part of NOAA’s mission to deliver tools and information to help mariners safely navigate the nation’s ports and harbors.

NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter departed from Pascagoula, Mississippi, in June with a group of scientists to collect data to help inform plans to restore marine mammal and seabird populations in the Gulf of Mexico. The 2-month long mission will survey more than 3,400 miles of trackline covering the deep waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico.

One of the uncrewed systems NOAA owns and operates is the DriX. Shaped like a submarine, the diesel-powered craft is able to conduct both remote-controlled and supervised autonomous operations. Unlike a sub, the 25-foot-long DriX operates entirely on the surface. The DriX was recently deployed from NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson in Alaska. 

NOAA Ship Rainier is conducting coral reef surveys and high-resolution hydrographic surveys in American Samoa and the Pacific Remote Island Areas. Data collected during this research mission will improve tsunami modeling, support habitat management and restoration, fisheries management and marine resource management.

Meet two members of the NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations crew who help keep everything shipshape: Senior Survey Technician Andrea Stoneman and Lieutenant Junior Grade Alice Beittel. 

The Pathfinder was built for use by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. The new research vessel was tricked out with all of the most important survey research tools of its time and designed to withstand harsh winters. Learn more about Antonio Jacobsen’s painting of the Pathfinder from the late 1800s.

We’re hiring! NOAA's professional mariners play a key role in improving our understanding of the ocean and atmosphere. We regularly have openings for civilian mariners aboard the agency's ships. NOAA's professional mariner workforce includes licensed masters, mates, engineers, and unlicensed members of the engine, steward, and deck departments. In addition, survey and electronic technicians operate and/or maintain the ship's mission, communication, and navigation equipment. Anyone interested in applying for a NOAA ship job can do so at marinerhiring.noaa.gov.