Contact: Jeanne Kouhestani FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
5/30/96
The oceanographic research vessel RONALD H. BROWN will be launched May 30 in Moss Point, Miss., after a traditional ceremony in which Mrs. Alma Brown, widow of the late Commerce Secretary, will christen the ship, the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced.
The new NOAA ship originally was to be called the RESEARCHER, but was renamed in honor of Secretary Brown, who was killed in a plane crash on April 3 while on a trade mission to Bosnia.
Halter Marine Inc. of Moss Point, Miss., is building this important addition to NOAA's fleet of scientific research vessels. It is the first ship the Commerce agency has had built in more than 16 years, and will replace one of two aging oceanographic ships to be retired later this year.
"Renaming the ship after one of the most forward-looking men I've known is a very appropriate way to honor Secretary Brown. He believed strongly in NOAA's important environmental research mission, and the ship represents a great stride forward for NOAA as it continues its work into the next century," said keynote speaker D. James Baker, Commerce undersecretary for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.
"The RONALD H. BROWN is a state-of-the-art oceanographic research vessel that will provide NOAA with the best platform available to carry out our research on critical physical, chemical, and biological oceanographic and atmospheric processes," said Baker. "As most of NOAA's 16 active ships are more than 25 years old, this new ship is a major step towards modernizing our fleet."
The RONALD H. BROWN will be operated and managed by the Office of NOAA Corps Operations, which consists of NOAA Corps commissioned officers and civilian staff.
"We're delighted that this world-class ship will be added to NOAA's fleet early next year," said Rear Admiral William L. Stubblefield, director of ONCO. "It is designed with greater seagoing and scientific capabilities than our current oceanographic ships, but with its modern technology, we expect it to be less expensive to operate. Most importantly, NOAA scientists will have the advantage of technological advancements as they conduct research and data collection from this newest platform."
The RONALD H. BROWN is a 274-ft. Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research (AGOR) 24-class vessel. It will be equipped with the latest oceanographic and scientific equipment and instruments, and have almost 4,000 square feet of laboratory space. With an endurance of more than 11,000 nautical miles at 12 knots, it will have the speed, endurance, and seakeeping capabilities needed to meet NOAA's worldwide research and data collection needs.
It is the third ship built under a contract to build one ship for the Navy-funded university fleet with options to build two additional ships. The contract was awarded competitively to Halter Marine by the Naval Sea Systems Command. The first and second ships will be operated by Scripps Institute of Oceanography and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Through an agreement with the Navy, NOAA exercised the option in February 1994 to build a ship for the NOAA fleet
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