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News Events 2009
 NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown Explores Gulf of Mexico Reefs and Wrecks
NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown recently participated in the third installment of a dynamic multi-year project to locate unusual life-forms in the Gulf of Mexico. During the mission, researchers searched for and studied Lophelia pertusa coral communities to better understand why they occur in such unique ecosystems. A team of archaeologists and other scientists also joined the ship to document five historic deepwater shipwrecks in the gulf, four of which of date from the 19th century. For more information, check out this fact sheet.
NOAA Aircraft Operations Center Conducts Successful UAS Test
NOAA, in partnership with BAE Systems and the U.S. Navy, recently completed its first flight of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) from a manned aircraft. The small Coyote UAS was launched on September 20 via the free fall chute of one of NOAA’s WP-3D Orion aircraft. The Coyote flew for 49 minutes while the P-3 orbited above and successfully completed a loss of communications demonstration, communications range tests at three altitudes, and spiral maneuvers. During the Coyote flight, the P-3 also launched four dropsondes. After the flight, the data gathered by the dropsondes and Coyote was compared.
New fisheries vessels rendezvous at sea
 On September 22, 2009, Fisheries Survey Vessels (FSV) Pisces and (pre-delivery) Bell M. Shimada rendezvoused at sea in the Gulf of Mexico during a joint training cruise. This is the first time two FSVs have sailed side-by-side.
Bell M. Shimada, currently operated by VT Halter Marine, recently underwent tests in the Bahamas to determine its acoustic footprint.
Pisces will be commissioned in November.
New coastal mapping ship marks another construction milestone
 On September 19, a heavy-lift crane placed NOAA's new coastal mapping vessel, Ferdinand R. Hassler, into the water at the VT Halter shipyard in Moss Point, Mississippi. The event marked an important milestone in the construction of the ship. The vessel, a first-of-its-kind for NOAA's survey fleet, will collect hydrographic data along the U.S. East Coast. Its unique Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) design makes the ship less vulnerable to waves, allowing sensitive echo sounding equipment to collect better quality seafloor data. The vessel will be homeported in New Castle, N.H. See the NOAA News story for more information and the video.
Alaskans Celebrate 'Hydropalooza' with NOAA
 Many Americans take time each summer to visit a state fair or city carnival. On Saturday, August 29, over 250 residents of Homer, Alaska, celebrated 'Hydropalooza'--a festival of data collection--by touring the two ships that have been circling Kachemak Bay for nearly a month.
Visitors met with the crews of the NOAA Ships Fairweather and Rainier, as well as scientists from NOAA's Kasitsna Bay Laboratory and NOAA headquarters, to learn more about studying the seafloor and living on board a ship. Digital Terrain Models and animations helped the public visualize the data and crew stories illustrated why NOAA's work is important. Local media were in attendance, as were oficials from Alaska's state and local governments.
In addition to the ship tours, nearly 70 community members attended a public presentation at NOAA's Kasitsna Bay Laboratory to learn more about the non-traditional benefits of ocean and coastal mapping data, like characterizing marine habitats and planning coastal communities. The event was led by NOAA's Kris Holderied, Director of the Lab, and featured speakers from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the Kachemak Bay National Esturarine Research Reserve.
For more information about Hydropalooza, visit http://hydropalooza.noaa.gov/
NOAA Signs Lease with Newport, Oregon, for New Location of Marine Operations Center - Pacific
 On August 7, 2009, NOAA signed a 20-year lease with the Port of Newport, Oregon, which will serve as the new home of the agency’s Marine Operations Center-Pacific (MOC-P) beginning in 2011. A new state-of-the-art facility will aid the employees of MOC-P in supporting the NOAA ships. The facility will be available after the current lease at Lake Union in Seattle, Washington, expires in June of 2011.
Because of the age of the current lease at Lake Union, the MOC-P lease was due to be re-competed before 2011. For this acquisition, NOAA followed the prescribed, competitive process regulated by the U.S. General Services Administration. The regulations concerning government procurements are designed to insure a competitive market and the most efficient use of taxpayer money.
Further information is posted on the MOC-P website.
NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada moved to deep water facility for final construction phase
On July 14, VT Halter Marine, Inc., used tugs to move the newest Fisheries Survey Vessel Bell M. Shimada from their preliminary facility in Moss Point, Mississippi, to their deep-water facility in Pascagoula. This is done as a ship approaches its final stages of preparation for delivery. The ship will conduct tests and sea trials in and out of this location until the government takes delivery of the ship from the vendor this fall.
NOAA ship Thomas Jefferson partipates in National Maritime Day
 On Friday, May 22, NOAA ship Thomas Jefferson participated in the 76th annual National Maritime Day celebration. This national observance recognizes the service of merchant mariners and the sacrifices made by many to deliver goods to the American people.
A special tribute was paid by the Hampton Roads maritime community to NOAA's scientists, professionals, NOAA Corps officers and wage mariners - all of whom work diligently to support safe commerce on America's oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes.
The ceremony began with a memorial service featuring a wreath-laying from the bow of the Thomas Jefferson and a special low-altitude flyover tribute from NOAA’s WP-3D Orion Hurricane Hunter aircraft. Read the full story at the National Ocean Service site.
NOAA Aircraft Serve as Backdrop for 2009 Hurricane Outlook News Conference at Regan National Airport
 On Thursday, May 21, NOAA aircraft served as the backdrop for the announcement of the 2009 Hurricane Season Outlook. They were also available for tours to the media and Congressional staffers at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
The aircraft on display were a Lockheed WP-3D Orion and the U.S. Air Force C-130 hurricane hunter aircraft, the Gulfstream G-IV SP and the new Beechcraft King Air. The King Air will replace the Citation to acquire imagery for NOAA's National Geodetic Survey Remote Sensing Division.
NOAA WP-3D Orion Hurricane Hunter on Atlantic Coast Hurricane Awareness Tour
 NOAA hurricane experts visited five East Coast cities aboard a NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft to raise awareness about storm threats and the danger of being caught without a personal hurricane plan. The hurricane awareness tour has been conducted for more than 25 years, alternating between the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, and is followed by NOAA’s hurricane hazard education campaign during national Hurricane Preparedness Week, May 24 to 30. The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1.
Tour Schedule:
- Monday, May 4 - Pease Air National Guard Base, Newington, NH, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, May - Republic Airport at Farmingdale, NY, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, May 6 - Raleigh-Durham International Airport, NC, 3:00-5:00 p.m.
- Thursday, May 7 - Wilmington International Airport, NC, 3:00-5:00 p.m.
- Friday, May 8 - Naval Air Station Key West at Boca Chica Key, FL, 1:30-4:00 p.m.
Read the full NOAA news story
 NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson Assists U.S. Coast Guard In Training Operations
From March through May 2009, NOAA ship Oscar Dyson and USCG Air Station Kodiak Alaska are jointly coordinating helicopter hoist training evolutions for Air Station Kodiak aircrews using Eurocopter HH65 "Dolphin" short-range recovery helicopter and Sikorsky HH60J "Jayhawk" medium-range recovery helicopter. Dyson personnel and CG aircrews will engage in both bow and stern hoist retrieval operations with vessel underway and hove to during daylight and twilight periods. This underway live training is vital to the USCG emergency rescue preparedness.
 NOAA Ship John N. Cobb to be Named to National Register of Historic Places
NOAA Ship John N. Cobb, a former fisheries research vessel based in Seattle, is on track to be named to the National Register of Historic Places, the federal government’s official list of the nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Built in 1950, Cobb served NOAA and her predecessor organizations for 58 years, retiring as the last wooden hulled vessel in NOAA's fleet.
NOAA announced the naming during NOAA Heritage Week, an annual event that highlights the people and events in the agency’s history that have shaped not only NOAA but the nation. Read the full NOAA News story.
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