Shipshape - Winter 2023

NOAA has awarded $59.8 million to Manson Construction Company to renovate the agency’s pier facility in North Charleston, South Carolina. The pier is integral to safe and efficient research ship operations in the area. The renovations will include demolishing and building a new pier that has shoreside power for ships, as well as a warehouse, sea wall and living shoreline, and other supporting infrastructure. Work is expected to be completed in 2026. 

All of our ships’ crews train frequently to respond to a vessel fire. Unfortunately, this training was put to the test when NOAA Ship Rainier had a fire that started on Sept. 5. They were transiting to Honolulu and located approximately 200 miles off the island of Tutuila in American Samoa. Thankfully, the crew’s extensive training helped them contain and extinguish the fire. More importantly, there were 41 people on board and nobody was injured.

The Pribilof Islands, located in the Bering Sea, are remote and isolated. The economy and community are reliant on the surrounding ocean, while the islands themselves provide shelter for vessels working in waters nearby. Accurate nautical charts are not only integral to safe navigation and delivery of goods and services for the community, but also to commercial fishing and crabbing. The last major survey of the area was conducted in the 1950s. NOAA Ship Fairweather was able to survey 143 square miles, including 21 square miles of previously uncharted waters.

As NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson set sail to collect annual data on the Walleye pollock fishery in Alaska this past summer, scientists were exploring using the DriX, an uncrewed marine system, to make their acoustic surveys more efficient. Uncrewed systems are being used across NOAA to supplement data gathering efforts. The Uncrewed Systems Operations Center supports scientists at NOAA Fisheries to use uncrewed systems as a force multiplier to crewed surveys.

With more than 300 divers, NOAA has more divers than any other U.S. civilian federal agency. NOAA divers are trained specialists who support diving operations and ensure they are safely executed. Missions like the 2023 Rainier Integrates Charting, Hydrography, And Reef Demographics (RICHARD) mission aboard NOAA Ship Rainier are an example of how the NOAA Diving Program supports our shipboard science. 

We will soon be releasing the draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment for NOAA Vessel Operations assesses the environmental impact of NOAA’s oceanographic, charting and mapping, and fisheries vessels during non-project times, such as transit and training. This is an opportunity for the public to review the draft and provide comments. Look for the draft and details on how to comment at omao.noaa.gov later this week. 

The NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps) is one of the nation’s eight uniformed services. With approximately 330 officers and growing, the NOAA Corps supports nearly all of NOAA’s programs and missions, and are an integral part of NOAA’s marine operations. Meet two NOAA Corps officers, Lieutenant John Katchenago and Lieutenant Commander Andrew Reynaga.

Our professional mariner workforce is crucial to safe and effective ship operations. Get a glimpse into the life of a NOAA mariner in the first video of a new series. Meet Lead Fisherman Jay Michelsen.

Often the photos we see of science diving operations are of beautiful underwater scenes, but really it’s the work behind the scenes and the pre-mission training that makes the dives safe and successful. Hear how the NOAA Diving Program got its start.

We are holding two hiring events in January to recruit professional mariners to work aboard NOAA ships. The first event will be on Jan. 23 in Mobile, Alabama, and the second on Jan. 25 in New Orleans. Stop by or apply online. More details at: omao.noaa.gov/marinerjobevents.