NOAA Awards $21.6m for Uncrewed Systems Supporting Mapping, Charting
will also be equipped to support other data collection efforts such as fisheries acoustic surveys.“NOAA is uniquely positioned to leverage cutting edge maritime technology to efficiently collect data in some of the ocean’s most challenging regions,” said Rear Adm. Chad M. Cary, NOAA Corps director and NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations assistant administrator. “Teaming these systems with Surveyor and Navigator achieves a major waypoint on the charted course to building the hybrid fleet of the future.”NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations manages and operates NOAA'
NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson Returns to the Great Lakes to Map the Region
For the first time since 2022, the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson is underway in the Great Lakes. The vessel and its crew of NOAA Corps officers and professional mariners are working with NOAA scientists to map the waters of western and central Lake Erie and eastern Lake Ontario this year to improve navigation safety. Survey work will also occur within Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary to identify critical habitats located within the area.Western Lake Erie, one of the shallowest areas within the Great Lakes marine transportation system, is highly trafficked by commercial and recreational vessels and
NOAA Ship Rainier to Map Critical Mineral Deposits in Pacific US Waters
. This project is part of the Department of Commerce's implementation of the U.S. Offshore Critical Minerals Mapping Plan, as described in President Trump’s Executive Order 14285: Unleashing America's Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources.Rainier is a hydrographic survey ship staffed by NOAA Corps Officers and professional mariners. The first survey leg will focus on mapping with multibeam echo sounders in deep water. The second survey leg will use autonomous underwater vehicles from Orpheus Ocean to acquire high-resolution seabed imagery and geological samples, in partnership with the NOAA
Chad Cary to Lead NOAA Corps and Office of Marine and Aviation Operations
The U.S. Senate confirmed on Thursday President Biden’s nomination of NOAA Rear Adm. Chad Cary to lead the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps) and NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO).“Supporting the nation’s environmental and economic security is one of the Biden-Harris Administration’s top priorities and the NOAA Corps, NOAA’s fleet, and the dedicated professionals who operate these critical components of our infrastructure are vital in fulfilling that mission,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Rear Adm. Cary’s
Renovations Commence at NOAA's Research Vessel Pier in Charleston
infrastructure helps NOAA meet essential at-sea data collection requirements that support enhanced economic security, public safety and homeland security for many years to come.”“This pier and facility are integral to safe and efficient research ship operations in the area,” said NOAA Corps Vice Adm. (select) Nancy Hann, director of NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations and the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps. “Our ships cannot efficiently complete their critical work without safe and reliable shoreside infrastructure.&rdquo
NOAA Promotes Nancy Hann to Deputy Under Secretary
NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps Rear Adm. Nancy A. Hann has been selected for promotion to the rank of vice admiral and will serve as NOAA’s deputy under secretary for operations, beginning August 2024. Since 2021, Hann has served as director of the NOAA Corps and NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO).In her new role as deputy under secretary for operations, Hann will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the agency's national and international operations for oceanic and atmospheric services, research and coastal and marine stewardship.“Vice Adm. (select) Hann
NOAA Cuts Ribbon on Renovated Ketchikan Port Facility
vessels capable of exploring the world’s deepest ocean, to smaller ships responsible for charting the shallow bays and inlets of the U.S. The fleet supports a wide range of marine activities, including fisheries surveys, nautical charting and ocean and climate studies. NOAA ships are operated by NOAA Corps officers and civilian professional mariners
Thoma-Sea Awarded Contract to Build Two NOAA Research Ships
seafloor and characterizing marine habitats. They will also have the ability to deploy crewed survey work boats, scientific equipment and uncrewed systems, which enhance the work the ship does.“This is another milestone in NOAA’s effort to recapitalize our aging fleet of ships,” said NOAA Corps Rear Adm. Nancy Hann, director of NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations and the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps. “These ships are vital for mapping the United States Exclusive Economic Zone, enabling maritime commerce and responding to natural disasters, and will allow us to meet critical at-sea
Keel Laid for NOAA’s New Oceanographic Research Ship
2026.“I am confident this new vessel will serve Hawaii and our country well,” said Oceanographer's sponsor, Linda Kwok Schatz, wife of U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii.NOAA’s fleet of research and survey ships is operated, managed and maintained by OMAO. NOAA ships are crewed by NOAA Corps officers and civilian professional mariners
February 2026
