NOAA ships and aircraft

A NOAA Lockheed WP-3D Orion used for hurricane reconnaissance missions.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) operates a wide variety of specialized aircraft and ships to complete NOAA's environmental and scientific missions. OMAO also manages the NOAA Small Boat Program and the NOAA Diving Program, the latter having as part of its mission the job of ensuring a level of diving skill conducive to safe and efficient operations in NOAA-sponsored underwater activities.

Administration

The Director of OMAO and the NOAA Corps is Rear Admiral David A. Score. Rear Admiral (Lower Half) Anita L. Lopez, NOAA, is the Director of the Marine and Aviation Operations Centers.

Aircraft operations

Inside Hangar 5, home of the NOAA's AOC.

NOAA's Aircraft Operations Center (AOC), located at the MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, is home to NOAA's fleet of aircraft. The aircraft often operate over open ocean, mountains, coastal wetlands, Arctic pack ice, and in and around hurricanes and other severe weather. Specialized noncommercial aircraft support NOAA's atmospheric and hurricane surveillance/research programs, NOAA Hurricane Hunters. The aircraft collect the environmental and geographic data essential to NOAA hurricane and other weather and atmospheric research; provide aerial support for coastal and aeronautical charting and remote sensing projects; conduct aerial surveys for hydrologic research, and provide support to NOAA's fishery research and marine mammal assessment programs.

Ship operations

The NOAA flag, flown by commissioned NOAA ships.

NOAA's ship fleet was created when various United States Government scientific agencies merged to form NOAA on 3 October 1970. At that time, the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's Bureau of Commercial Fisheries were abolished, and the ships that had constituted their fleets – the hydrographic survey ships of the Coast and Geodetic Survey and the fisheries research ships of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries – combined to form the new NOAA fleet.

The NOAA fleet provides hydrographic survey, oceanographic and atmospheric research, and fisheries research vessels to support NOAA's strategic plan elements, and mission. Some ships of the fleet have been retired from the United States Navy or other maritime services. The vessels are located in various locations around the United States. The ships are managed by the Marine Operations Center, which has offices in Norfolk, Virginia, and Newport, Oregon. Logistic support for these vessels is provided by the Marine Operations Center offices or, for vessels in Woods Hole, Massachusetts; Charleston, South Carolina; Pascagoula, Mississippi; San Diego, California; and Honolulu, Hawaii; by port captains located in those ports.

Fleet maintenance

NOAA's aircraft and ship fleet is operated and managed by a combination of NOAA Corps Officers, wage marine and civilian employees. Officers and OMAO civilians frequently serve as chief scientists on program missions. The wage marine and civilian personnel include licensed engineers, mechanics, navigators, technicians, and members of the engine, steward, and deck departments. Administrative duties and navigation of the vessels are performed by the commissioned officers. The aircraft and ship's officers and crew provide mission support and assistance to embarked scientists from various NOAA laboratories as well as the academic community.

To complement NOAA's research fleet, OMAO is fulfilling NOAA's ship and aircraft support needs with contracts for ship and aircraft time with other sources, such as the private sector and the university fleet.

Notice: This article incorporates material taken from the public domain website of the NOAA OMAO.

NOAA research aircraft types operated

NOAA Martin RB-57A in 1975 with the NOAA Douglas DC-6B in the background

Present

• Aero Commander 1000
• Beechcraft Super King Air
• de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
• Gulfstream IV
• Lockheed WP-3D Orion

Past

• Douglas DC-6B
• Martin RB-57A
• Aero Commander 500
• Lake Renegade
• Cessna Citation II

NOAA research and survey vessels

Upon its creation on 3 October 1970, NOAA took control of all research ships previously operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's Bureau of Commercial Fisheries and all survey ships previously operated by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. NOAA has since decommissioned many of these ships and replaced them with ships acquired from the United States Navy or new ships built specifically for NOAA.

The names of NOAA ships are preceded by the prefix "NOAAS" (for "National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ship") and followed by a unique hull classification symbol, or "hull number," made up of a letter indicating whether the vessel is a research ship (R) or survey ship (S), followed by a three-digit number. Each hull classification symbol is unique among NOAA ships currently in commission, although in some cases NOAA uses a hull classification symbol identical to one it used previously for a ship that it has since decommissioned.

Present

• NOAAS Bell M. Shimada (R 227) (in service 2010–present)
• NOAAS Fairweather (S 220) (in service 1970–1989 and 2004–present; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1968–1970)
• NOAAS Ferdinand R. Hassler (R 250) (in service 2012–present)
• NOAAS Gordon Gunter (R 336) (in service 1998–present; previously with U.S. Navy as USNS Relentless (T-AGOS-18) 1990–1993)
• NOAAS Henry B. Bigelow (R 225) (in service 2007–present)
• NOAAS Hi'ialakai (R 334) (in service 2004–present; previously with U.S. Navy as USNS Vindicator (T-AGOS-3) 1984–1993 and with U.S. Coast Guard as USCGC Vindicator (WMEC-3) 1994–2001)
• RV Gloria Michelle (in service 1980–present)
• NOAAS Nancy Foster (R 352) (in service 2004–present; previously with U.S. Navy as USS Agate Pass (YT-112) 1991–1999)
• NOAAS Okeanos Explorer (R 337) (in service 2008–present; previously with U.S. Navy as USNS Capable (T-AGOS-16) 1989–2004)
• NOAAS Oregon II (R 332) (in service 1977–present)
• NOAAS Oscar Dyson (R 224) (in service 2005–present)
• NOAAS Oscar Elton Sette (R 335) (in service 2003–present; previously with U.S. Navy as USNS Adventurous (T-AGOS-13) 1988–1992)
• NOAAS Pisces (R 226) (in service 2009–present)
• NOAAS Rainier (S 221) (in service 1970–present; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1968–1970)
• NOAAS Reuben Lasker (R 228) (in service 2014–present)
• NOAAS Ronald H. Brown (R 104) (in service 1997–present)
• NOAAS Thomas Jefferson (S 222) (in service 2003–present; previously with U.S. Navy as USNS Littlehales (T-AGS-52) 1992–2003)

Past

• NOAAS Albatross IV (R 342) (in service 1970–2008; previously with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 1963–1970)
• NOAAS Chapman (R 446) (in service 1980–1998)
• NOAAS David Starr Jordan (R 444) (in service 1970–2010; previously with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 1966–1970)
• NOAAS Davidson (S 331) (in service 1970–1989; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1967–1970)
• NOAAS Delaware II (R 445) (in service 1970–2012; previously with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 1968-1970)
• NOAAS Discoverer (R 102) (in service 1970–1996; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1967–1970)
• NOAAS Ferrel (S 492) (in service 1970–2002; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1968–1970)
• NOAAS Heck (S 591) (in service 1970–1995; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1967–1970)
• NOAAS John N. Cobb (R 552) (in service 1970–2008; previously with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1950–1956 and Fish and Wildlife Service's Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 1956–1970)
• NOAAS Ka'imimoana (R 333) (in service 1996–2014; previously with U.S. Navy as USNS Titan (T-AGOS-15) 1988–1993)
• NOAAS Malcolm Baldridge (R 103), see NOAAS Researcher (R 103)
• NOAAS McArthur (S 330) (in service 1970–2003; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1966–1970)
• NOAAS McArthur II (R 330) (in service 2003–2014; previously with U.S. Navy as USNS Indomitable (T-AGOS-7) 1985–2002)
• NOAAS Miller Freeman (R 223) (in service 1975-2013; previously with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 1967-1970)
• NOAAS Mount Mitchell (S 222) (in service 1970-1995; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1968-1970)
• NOAAS Oceanographer (R 101) (in service 1970–1981, 1986–1989, and ?–1996; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1966–1970)
• NOAAS Pierce (S 328) (in service 1970–1992; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1963–1970)
• NOAAS Researcher (R 103), renamed NOAAS Malcolm Baldridge (R 103) in 1987 (in service 1970–1996; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1970)
• NOAAS Rude (S 590) (in service 1970–2008; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1967–1970)
• NOAAS Surveyor (S 132) (in service 1970–1995 or 1996; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1960–1970)
• NOAAS Townsend Cromwell (R 443) (in service 1975–2002; previously with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 1964–1975)
• NOAAS Whiting (S 329) (in service 1970–2003; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1963–1970)

External links

• NOAA
• NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations
• NOAA Marine Operations
• NOAA Aircraft Operations
• NOAA Corps