NOAA To Convert Navy Surveillance Ship to Explore Earth’s Largely Unknown Oceans In a formal ceremony this week, NOAA and the U.S. Navy marked the transfer of ownership of a former surveillance ship from the Navy to NOAA. The ship will be converted to a NOAA research vessel for exploring deep oceans. The transfer supports the NOAA fleet modernization effort and will save the Navy up to $500,000 otherwise needed to deactivate the vessel. USNS Capable will be converted and renamed. The ship, designated as T-AGOS class for general ocean surveillance, will be the ninth vessel transferred by the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command to NOAA. Former Navy ships like Capable have helped modernize the NOAA fleet and served as excellent research and operational platforms. The Navy will transfer $18 million of appropriated funds to NOAA in FY 2005 for the conversion. NOAA will develop a plan to equip the ship for ocean mapping, deployment of unmanned submersibles, scientific work in onboard laboratories, and real-time transmission of images and data collected during ocean expeditions. The ship will carry multidisciplinary teams of scientist-explorers to investigate unknown or little known areas of Earth’s oceans for the purpose of discovery and the advancement of knowledge. For details about the types of missions the ship will support, visit:
NOAA To Convert Navy Surveillance Ship to Explore Earth’s Largely Unknown Oceans
In a formal ceremony this week, NOAA and the U.S. Navy marked the transfer of ownership of a former surveillance ship from the Navy to NOAA. The ship will be converted to a NOAA research vessel for exploring deep oceans. The transfer supports the NOAA fleet modernization effort and will save the Navy up to $500,000 otherwise needed to deactivate the vessel. USNS Capable will be converted and renamed.
The ship, designated as T-AGOS class for general ocean surveillance, will be the ninth vessel transferred by the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command to NOAA. Former Navy ships like Capable have helped modernize the NOAA fleet and served as excellent research and operational platforms.
The Navy will transfer $18 million of appropriated funds to NOAA in FY 2005 for the conversion. NOAA will develop a plan to equip the ship for ocean mapping, deployment of unmanned submersibles, scientific work in onboard laboratories, and real-time transmission of images and data collected during ocean expeditions. The ship will carry multidisciplinary teams of scientist-explorers to investigate unknown or little known areas of Earth’s oceans for the purpose of discovery and the advancement of knowledge. For details about the types of missions the ship will support, visit:
www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov.