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Naval Meteorology And Oceanography Command News

08 Dec 2021

Opinion: A Call for the USNS Walter Munk to Honor America’s Greatest Oceanographer

Walter Munk (center) with the author (left) and his wife Mary (right) at Scripps in 2018. Photo courtesy the Author

In the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress established a commission to rename several military bases and ships that commemorate members of the Confederacy. One of these is the Naval oceanographic ship USNS Maury (T-AGS 66), named after oceanographer Matthew Fontaine Maury, who resigned his commission in the U.S. Navy to join the Confederacy at the outbreak of the American Civil War. The USNS Maury is an asset of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (NMOC), which I led from 2014-2017.

24 Nov 2020

Interview: Rear Admiral John Okon, Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, US Navy

“The ocean is critical to National and Global Security. Back in the early 90’s the ocean wasn’t contested, the U.S. was the most powerful Navy and we had freedom of movement, anytime, anywhere,” said RDML Okon. “Now, while we are still the most powerful Navy in the world, near peer competitors are racing to close that gap." Photo: U.S. Navy

Insights on technology advances with Rear Admiral John Okon, Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command.Rear Admiral Okon never started out to have a career in Oceanography, rather in Broadcast Meteorology. “At NY Maritime College, I studied both Meteorology and Oceanography and became equally passionate about Oceanography. Thanks to the U.S. Navy, we have a career field in both.”By its very nature, the U.S. Navy operates in one of the most discussed and disected environments on earth, the oceans.“The ocean is critical to National and Global Security.

12 Oct 2020

Port Security: Autonomous ANTX

Graphic representation of the exercise; met-ocean data collection operations running concurrently with simulated threats, detection and mitigation assets. Image from ION.

Geophysical seismic surveys and port security may appear to have little in-common. However, it turns out that managing complex marine seismic operations, where 10km-long seismic streamers have to be deployed harmoniously alongside other offshore marine assets, isn’t that dissimilar to managing – and protecting – port facilities.It's an area that ION Geophysical, more known for seismic data acquisition technology, has recently been proving its expertise in, using its Marlin system for marine operations management.

04 Aug 2020

U.S. Navy, NOAA Strike Deal to Fast-Track Unmanned Maritime Systems

NOAA scientist operates an autonomous surface vehicle in the Port of Gulfport, Miss., during the Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command’s Advanced Naval Technology Exercise on Nov. 6, 2019, to test and evaluate new maritime technologies. (CNMOC)

The advent of autonomy in the maritime and subsea space has received a significant boost with the announcement that a pair of U.S. government titans, the United States Navy and NOAA, have inked an deal to jointly expand the development and operations of unmanned maritime systems.“With the strengthening of our ongoing partnership with the Navy, NOAA will be better positioned to transition unmanned maritime technologies into operational platforms that will gather critical environmental data that will help grow the American Blue Economy,” said retired Navy Rear Adm.

09 Jun 2016

US Navy's New Oceanographic Vessel Sets Sail

Ed Gent, Naval Oceanographic Office engineer, greets Rear Adm. Timothy Gallaudet, commander of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command and Oceanographer and Navigator of the Navy, as Gallaudet boards USNS Maury (Photo: U.S. Navy)

The U.S. Navy's newest oceanographic survey vessel, USNS Maury (T-AGS 66), recently completed its maiden voyage from Pascagoula, Miss., where it was constructed at VT Halter Marine, to Port Everglades near Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. In Maury's first days at sea, the civilian survey detachment from the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) aboard performed initial testing of routine over-the-side operations as well as testing equipment unique to the ship, including underwater cameras which will be used for autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) launch and recovery in the future.

19 Jun 2014

Gallaudet Relieves Brown at Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command

Rear Adm. Timothy C. Gallaudet relieved Rear Adm. Brian B. Brown  as commander of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (NAVMETOCCOM) in a traditional change of command ceremony held June 18 at Stennis Space Center. Gallaudet was promoted to the rank of rear admiral (lower half) just prior to the ceremony. Brown said he felt “blessed and lucky” to have worked with the Navy’s military and civilian oceanography workforce to perform a mission so critical to the warfighting effectiveness and readiness of the fleet and joint force despite personal hardships…

15 Nov 2013

Navy's 'USNS Bowditch' Checking Philippine Pilotage Waters

USNS Bowditch lowering inshore survey boat: Photo credit USN

As U.S. Navy assets steam towards the Philippines to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan, Navy hydrographers are busy charting safe passages through potential navigation hazards created by the receding storm surge. 'USNS Bowditch', a Navy survey vessel, was one of the first ships on station and began immediately surveying the approaches to San Pedro Bay. "In many natural disaster situations around the world, forward-deployed Navy and Marine Corps assets act as first responders for U.S.

10 Apr 2013

Yes, Oceanographers Can Help Predict Piracy Attacks

The US Naval Meteorology & Oceanography Command named a 2013 Computerworld Honors Laureate for its counter-piracy predictive modelling. The Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (NAVMETOCCOM) received the award for a modeling capability developed by Naval oceanographers at Stennis Space Center that predicts the likelihood of pirate attacks. IDG's Computerworld Honors Program selected NAVMETOCCOM as a 2013 Laureate in the field of Safety and Security for its development of its Pirate Attack Risk Surface (PARS). The PARS model produces a forecast of shipping vulnerability due to piracy at a certain latitude, longitude, and time. A few short months before Somali pirates hijacked the U.S.-flagged MV Maersk Alabama in 2009…

04 Apr 2013

Navy Christens, Launches New Oceanographic Survey Ship

Photo: U.S. Navy

Accompanied by azure blue skies and a stiff breeze, the Navy christened and launched its newest oceanographic survey ship, USNS Maury (T-AGS 66), the last of its class at VT Halter Marine’s shipyard in Moss Point, Miss., in a traditional Navy ceremony on March 27. The 350-foot ship is named for Cmdr. Matthew F. Maury, considered to be the father of oceanography, nicknamed the “Pathfinder of the Seas” and the first superintendent of the U.S. Naval Observatory. Maury is 24 feet…

07 Aug 2012

Brown Relieves White at Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command

Rear Adm.(lower half) Brian B. Brown relieved Rear Adm. Jonathan W. White as commander of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (NAVMETOCCOM) in a traditional Navy change of command ceremony on Aug. 3 at Stennis Space Center. "I am blessed to once again be part of the Navy's operational oceanography team and humbled to have been selected among so many talented officers to lead this command," Brown said to Naval Oceanography employees at the ceremony. For the past year, Brown has been the Executive Assistant to the Oceanographer and Navigator of the Navy in Washington, but he previously served at Stennis as commanding officer and executive officer of the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) and on the NAVMETOCCOM staff. NAVOCEANO is NAVMETOCCOM's largest subordinate command.

13 Jul 2009

Navy Discusses Arctic Changes

The oceanographer of the Navy and commander of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (NMOC) recently discussed the Navy's future in the Arctic at the third Symposium on the Impacts of an Ice-Diminishing Arctic on Naval and Maritime Operations at the U.S. Naval Academy. Rear Adm. David Titley spoke about the Arctic and is scheduled to deliver a "roadmap" for Navy action regarding the Arctic late this summer. Titley's task came out of a Chief of Naval Operations Executive Board (CEB) meeting on the Navy's response to the changing environment and a new national Arctic policy. "My first deliverable, a Navy Arctic roadmap, is a way to get a handle on the Arctic and climate change in general," Titley said. In 2007, the summer sea ice minimum in the Arctic reached a record low.

05 May 2009

Titley New Oceanographer of the Navy

In a ceremony at the U.S. Naval Observatory, Rear Adm. David Titley assumed the office of oceanographer of the Navy, replacing retiring Rear Adm. David A. Gove. Titley will simultaneously maintain his current position as commander of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command until a replacement can be found. Headquartered at the U.S. Naval Observatory, the oceanographer of the Navy serves as the advisor to the chief of naval operations for resources, requirements, and policy with regard to the Naval Oceanography Program. The program, which includes the disciplines of oceanography, hydrography, meteorology, geospatial information and services…

15 Jul 2008

Naval Oceanographic Office to Get Major Supercomputer

The Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVO) Major Shared Resource Center (MSRC) will house a powerful new IBM supercomputer that will substantially increase its computational capacity. "This new IBM system represents a tremendous increase in the center's computational capacity," said Tom Dunn, director of the computer center. The Navy uses the supercomputer center both for operations and for research projects. Navy oceanographers run and analyze ocean models for a variety of Navy operations. Researchers use the supercomputer center for DoD-approved research projects. The new supercomputer, a Power 575 Hydro-Cluster, has a peak speed of 90 teraflops (90 trillion floating-point operations per second)…

03 Aug 2005

Navy, NOAA, USCG Sign Memorandum of Understanding

By Lt. j.g. Top officials from the U.S. Navy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Coast Guard signed a Memorandum of Understanding July 21, reaffirming their support of the National Ice Center (NIC). The NIC, an interagency office jointly operated by the Navy (Naval Ice Center), NOAA and Coast Guard, provides strategic and tactical ice analyses and other services that aid the navigation of U.S. vessels in ice-infested waters. “Today’s update to our original working agreement, first signed in 1995, means that the National Ice Center can continue monitoring the waterways for potentially dangerous ice and help guide ships out of harm’s way for the safe, efficient delivery of goods,” said retired Vice Adm. Conrad C.

30 Oct 2007

Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Center Established

The Navy established the Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Center (NOMWC), Oct. 26, at Stennis Space Center (SSC) with Cmdr. Paul Oosterling as its first commanding officer. Oosterling is a native of Ontario, N.Y., and a graduate of Florida Institute of Technology, the Naval Postgraduate School, and the Naval War College. He was the executive officer of the Naval Oceanography Operations Command before he was named NOMWC Commanding Officer. NOMWC provides ongoing support for the Navy's mine warfare forces to neutralize threats and to allow for assured access of maritime assets. It also provides the Navy's mine warfare operators with access to products and services of the Naval Oceanographic Office, also located at SSC.

06 Mar 2007

Undersea Surveillance Aligned Under Naval Oceanography

Commander Undersea Surveillance (CUS), head of the Navy’s Integrated Undersea Surveillance System (IUSS), was elevated to an echelon IV command Feb. 28 to serve under the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (NMOC) at Stennis Space Center, Miss. The move united the Navy’s Undersea Surveillance Command with the Navy’s oceanography community. It culminated several months of discussion and study, continuing the reorganization of NMOC efforts to focus the Navy oceanography community’s activities on the needs of its warfighting customers. NMOC is an Echelon III command under the lead of Fleet Forces Command. CUS, headquartered in Dam Neck, Va., previously was a command serving under the Naval Submarine Force.

17 Jan 2007

National/Naval Ice Center Celebrates 30 Years of Interagency Cooperation

In a new era of increased interagency cooperation, the National/Naval Ice Center (NIC), in Suitland, Md., is celebrating a partnership that has been working successfully for over 30 years. The NIC, comprised of the U.S. Navy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), provides specialized strategic and tactical ice analyses to meet the operational needs of the U.S. government. It is the only ice center in the world that monitors sea ice in both northern and southern hemispheres by producing routine analyses of the Arctic, Antarctic and other ice infested waters. On Feb. 22, past and present staff members and leaders from the three participating agencies will gather to celebrate this unique collaboration.

21 Mar 2000

Bollinger Opens Satellite Engineering Office

Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., Lockport, La., has opened its new satellite marine engineering and naval architecture office in Slidell, La., on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain near New Orleans. The ceremonial ribbon was cut by Boysie Bollinger, chairman and CEO of the company, Rhinehart Dearing, chief of staff for the city of Slidell, and officials from the city, parish (county) and state. Scott Theriot, executive vice-president of new construction for Bollinger said the office was opened to accommodate increasing business, expanding product lines and planned new services. He said the location is ideal because it is in the heart of a high tech and shipbuilding corridor which includes a highly skilled, professional talent pool from industry, government and academia.

27 Apr 2006

Navy Honored by Mississippi Legislature for Katrina Work

The Mississippi state legislature has honored Mississippi Gulf Coast-based Navy commands for their service to their communities in the Hurricane Katrina evacuation and relief effort. State Sen. Scottie Cuevas of Pass Christian, Miss., presented the concurrent resolution April 25 to Rear Adm. Timothy McGee, commander of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. McGee’s command is based at Stennis Space Center on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The resolution was enacted in the recently adjourned legislative session. “It was very difficult work that nobody [hopes to have] to do,” McGee said of the recovery work that the members of his command did immediately after the storm. Also honored were Cmdr.