U.S. decommissioned today in a ceremony at its home port in Norfolk, Va. waterways. manages the NOAA fleet of ships and aircraft. efficiently. charts. survey platform in the world. maritime commerce. terabytes - one terabyte equaling 1,000 gigabytes. mosaics as well as imagery of historical wrecks like the USS Monitor. oceanography, fisheries research and homeland security surveys. security and nautical charting and returned in November. marked an end to its 39 years of service. and all waters in between. the nation. finding the wreckage of John F. Kennedy's aircraft in 1999. 990 off the coast of Rhode Island. Cmdr. two years. Air 990 recovery efforts. tragedies involving aircraft lost at sea. who served in the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. and the U.S. Naval Academy.