NOAAS Mount Mitchell

	Mount Mitchell docked on the south side of Salmon Bay, Seattle, Washington, United States, 2020.
History
U.S. Coast And Geodetic Survey
Name	USC&GS Mount Mitchell (MSS 22)
Namesake	Mount Mitchell in North Carolina
Builder	Aerojet-General Shipyards, Jacksonville, Florida
Launched	29 November 1966
Commissioned	23 March 1968
Fate	Transferred to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 3 October 1970
NOAA
Name	NOAAS Mount Mitchell (S 222)
Namesake	Previous name retained
Acquired	Transferred from U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 3 October 1970
Decommissioned	1995
Stricken	1995
Homeport	Norfolk, Virginia
Honors and; awards	Department of Commerce Silver Medal 1992
Fate	Sold 2001
Private ownership
Name	R/V Mt. Mitchell
Namesake	Abbreviated version of previous name
Owner	Mount Mitchell LLC
Operator	Global Seas LLC
Acquired	Purchased 2001
In service	2003
Homeport	Seattle, Washington
Identification	IMO number: 6710932 ; MMSI number: 369190000 ; Callsign: WDA9674;
Status	Active
General characteristics (U.S. Government service)
Class and type	Fairweather-class hydrographic survey ship
Type	S1-MT-27a
Tonnage	1,591 gross register tons ; 578 net register tons ;
Displacement	1,800 tons
Length	70.4 m (231 ft)
Beam	12.8 m (42 ft) moulded
Draft	4.4 m (14 ft) maximum
Installed power	2,400 shaft horsepower (3.2 megawatts)
Propulsion	Two 1,200 hp (0.89 MW) General Motors geared diesel engines, 2 shafts, 107,000 US gallons (410,000 L) fuel; one 200 hp (0.15 MW) Detroit Diesel/Bird Johnson geared through-hull bow thruster
Speed	12 to 12.5 knots (22.2 to 23.2 km/h) (cruising)
Range	5,898 nautical miles (10,923 km)
Endurance	22 days
Boats & landing ; craft carried	Three or four 8.8 m (29 ft) survey launches, two motor whaleboats, three Boston Whaler utility boats
Complement	49 (10 NOAA Corps officers, 4 licensed engineers, and 35 other crew members), plus up to 4 scientists
Notes	Ice-strengthened hull; 300 kilowatts electrical power plus 75-kilowatt emergency generator

Last updated October 22, 2023

NOAAS Mount Mitchell (S 222) was an American survey vessel in commission in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from 1970 to 1995. Prior to her NOAA career, she was in commission in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey as USC&GS Mount Mitchell (MSS 22) from 1968 to 1970. In 2003, she returned to service as the private research ship R/V Mt. Mitchell.

Construction and commissioning

Mount Mitchell was built for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey as a "medium survey ship" (MSS) at the Aerojet-General Shipyards in Jacksonville, Florida. Launched on 29 November 1966, she was commissioned into the Coast and Geodetic Survey in March 1968 as USC&GS Mount Mitchell (MSS 22).^[2] When the Survey merged with other organizations to form NOAA in 1970, she became part of the NOAA fleet as NOAAS Mount Mitchell (S 222). She is the sister ship of NOAAS Fairweather (S 220) and NOAAS Rainier (S 221), which are both still in service with NOAA.

USC&GS and NOAAS Mount Mitchell, 1968–1995

Mount Mitchell operated as a multipurpose vessel. She had an oceanographic laboratory, several echosounders, and an oceanographic winch. She also had a hydroplot data-processing system, as did two of her survey launches.

Mount Mitchell conducted hydrographic surveys on the United States East Coast and in the Caribbean, and served as an oceanographic vessel throughout much of the North Atlantic Ocean on various projects. In the late 1980s she was fitted with a multi-beam sounding system for hydrographic work related to establishing the maritime exclusive economic zone of the United States and discovered Mitchell Dome among other large, economically significant undersea features in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1992 she proceeded to the Persian Gulf to study the effects of the 1990–1991 Persian Gulf War oil spills into the Gulf. After returning to the United States, she resumed operations as a hydrographic survey vessel until decommissioning in 1995.

Awards

Department of Commerce Silver Medal

In a ceremony on 9 November 1992 in Washington, D.C., Mount Mitchell was awarded the Department of Commerce Silver Medal for her 1990–1991 Persian Gulf cruise.^[3] The program for the ceremony cited her achievements as follows:

NOAA Ship Mt. Mitchell, Atlantic Marine Center, completed a historic cruise surveying environmental damage in the Persian Gulf caused by oil spills. The cruise is the first major oceanographic survey of the Persian Gulf since 1977 and is the most comprehensive ever in terms of geographic and subject area coverage. Conquering numerous obstacles in a dangerous environment, the crew of the Mt. Mitchell acquired data against which future changes in water quality can be assessed.^[3]

R/V Mt. Mitchell, 2001–2023

After six years of inactivity, the decommissioned Mount Mitchell was purchased in 2001 by Mt. Mitchell LLC and was completely refurbished and retrofitted with the latest in electronics, machinery, and safety equipment. With her refit complete, she arrived in Seattle, Washington, in 2003 to begin her career as the private research ship R/V Mt. Mitchell. She is managed and operated by Global Seas LLC, headquartered in Seattle.

In 2008, Mt. Mitchell was outfitted with the most advanced underwater mapping equipment available. Her Kongsberg EM 120 and EM 710 high-resolution multibeam mapping systems offer a state-of-the-art capability to perform seabed mapping to full ocean depth with unrivaled resolution, coverage, and accuracy. The EM 120 system allows for accurate surveys to a depth of 11,000 meters (36,089 feet), while the EM 710 allows for accurate mapping to a depth of 2,000 meters (6,562 feet). The vessel is an acoustically quiet platform capable of supporting sophisticated sonar operations in deep water and high sea states. To ensure ship-related noise does not degrade the vessel′s capability to perform her science mission at full performance, the sonar systems are installed in a gondola arrangement below her hull. In addition, custom-designed propellers were installed in early 2011 to improve her efficiency.

In 2008, Mt. Mitchell was outfitted with stabilization tanks and anti-roll chocks which have eliminated much of her natural roll, making her an ideal platform for surveying. Mt. Mitchell is a very quiet vessel in comparison to other commercial research platforms and performance and acoustical testing of the EM 710 sonar demonstrated that it is identical to that obtained on the quietest United States Navy research vessels.

Mt. Mitchell also operates two launches, R/V Mt. Augustine and R/V Mt. Shishaldin. For shallow-water surveying, Mt. Augustine is a 32-foot (9.75-meter) Silver Streak cuddy-cabin twin-diesel craft outfitted with a multibeam sidescan sonar mount and laboratory space that Mt. Mitchell launches and retrieves through a Vestdavit system. Mt. Shishaldin is a 25-foot (7.6-meter) landing craft that can seat six people and has a drop-down bow for landing on remote beaches; it can be used for ferrying people between ship and shore, tide gauging, and hauling all-terrain vehicles.

Uruguayan Navy

On October 20, 2023, it was reported that the Minister of National Defense of Uruguay, Javier García, confirmed that the purchase of Mt. Mitchell for the Uruguayan Navy was ratified. The ship will serve as the new oceanographic and research vessel of the Uruguayan Navy since the retirement of Uruguayan survey ship ROU 22 Oyarvide.^[4]

Notes

↑ Per Combat Fleets of the World 2007, the complement is 69 (12 NOAA Corps officers, 5 licensed civilian officers and 52 other crew members) plus up to 4 scientists.
↑ Silverstone, Paul H., The Navy of the Nuclear Age 1947-2007, New York: Routledge, 2009, ISBN 0-415-97899-8, p. 309.
1 2 Program of Forty-Fourth Annual Honor Awards, United States Department of Commerce, November 9, 1992: Silver Medal Recipients: NOAA Ship Mt. Mitchell, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
↑ InfoDefensa, Revista Defensa. "Uruguay confirma la compra del Mt. Mitchell y la adjudicación para la construcción de dos OPV en España". Infodefensa - Noticias de defensa, industria, seguridad, armamento, ejércitos y tecnología de la defensa (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-10-21.

Related Research Articles

Hydrographic survey is the science of measurement and description of features which affect maritime navigation, marine construction, dredging, offshore oil exploration and drilling and related activities. Strong emphasis is placed on soundings, shorelines, tides, currents, seabed and submerged obstructions that relate to the previously mentioned activities. The term hydrography is used synonymously to describe maritime cartography, which in the final stages of the hydrographic process uses the raw data collected through hydrographic survey into information usable by the end user.

A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for underwater surveys, usually to collect data for mapping or planning underwater construction or mineral extraction. It is a type of research vessel, and may be designed for the purpose, modified for the purpose or temporarily put into the service as a vessel of opportunity, and may be crewed, remotely operated, or autonomous. The size and equipment vary to suit the task and availability.

NOAAS Rude was an American Rude-class hydrographic survey ship that was in commission in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from 1970 to 2008. Prior to its NOAA career, it was in commission in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey from 1967 to 1970 as USC&GS Rude. It was named for Gilbert T. Rude, former Chief of the Division of Coastal Surveys of the Coast and Geodetic Survey.

NOAA Ship Rainier is a survey vessel in commission with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Her primary mission is to chart all aspects of the ocean and sea floor, primarily in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. The ship is home-ported at the NOAA Marine Operations Center - Pacific in Newport, Oregon.

A multibeam echosounder (MBES) is a type of sonar that is used to map the seabed. It emits acoustic waves in a fan shape beneath its transceiver. The time it takes for the sound waves to reflect off the seabed and return to the receiver is used to calculate the water depth. Unlike other sonars and echo sounders, MBES uses beamforming to extract directional information from the returning soundwaves, producing a swathe of depth soundings from a single ping.

NOAA Ship Fairweather, originally operated by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey as USC&GS Fairweather, is an oceanographic research ship operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Fairweather primarily conducts hydrographic surveys in Alaskan waters, but is considered a multi-mission-capable vessel and has conducted fisheries research cruises. She is the sister ship of the NOAAS Rainier and of the retired NOAAS Mount Mitchell.

NOAAS Thomas Jefferson is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) hydrographic survey vessel in service since 2003. The ship was built for the United States Navy as USNS Littlehales (T-AGS-52) serving as one of two new coastal hydrographic survey vessels from 1992 until transfer to NOAA in 2003 when it was named after Founding Father and third U.S. president, Thomas Jefferson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Coast and Geodetic Survey</span> Former U.S. government scientific agency

The United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, known from 1807 to 1836 as the Survey of the Coast and from 1836 until 1878 as the United States Coast Survey, was the first scientific agency of the United States Government. It existed from 1807 to 1970, and throughout its history was responsible for mapping and charting the coast of the United States, and later the coasts of U.S. territories. In 1871, it gained the additional responsibility of surveying the interior of the United States and geodesy became a more important part of its work, leading to it being renamed the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1878.

USCS Robert J. Walker was a survey ship that served in the United States Coast Survey, a predecessor of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, from 1848 until sinking in 1860 after a collision at sea. Her loss resulted in the death of 20 men, the greatest loss of life in single incident ever to befall the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or any of its ancestor agencies. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 19, 2014.

NOAAS Discoverer, originally USC&GS Discoverer, was an American Oceanographer-class oceanographic research vessel in service in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey from 1966 to 1970 and in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from 1970 to 1996.

NOAAS Heck was a Rude-class hydrographic survey ship in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from 1970 to 1995. Prior to her NOAA service, she was in commission from 1967 to 1970 in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey as USC&GS Heck.

NOAAS Davidson was a survey ship in commission in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from 1970 to 1989. Prior to her NOAA service, she was in commission in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey from 1967 to 1970 as USC&GS Davidson, the second Coast and Geodetic Survey ship of the name. She was the only sister ship of NOAAS McArthur (S 330).

NOAAS Henry B. Bigelow is a fisheries research vessel operated by the United States' National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). She is the second in a class of five fisheries research vessels. She is named after Henry Bryant Bigelow (1879-1967), the American oceanographer, zoologist, and marine biologist who founded the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

NOAAS Bell M. Shimada is an American fisheries research ship in commission with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) since 2010. She operates along the United States West Coast.

USNS John McDonnell (T-AGS-51) was a hydrographic survey ship operated by the Military Sealift Command (MSC) with a contract crew for the Naval Oceanographic Office which assigned a military and civilian hydrographic detachment to conduct coastal surveys. The ship and its sister, USNS Littlehales (T-AGS-52), were replacements for the coastal hydrographic survey vessels USNS Chauvenet (T-AGS-29) and USNS Harkness (T-AGS-32).

NOAAS Whiting, was an American survey ship that was in commission in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from 1970 to 2003. Previously, she had been in commission in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey from 1963 to 1970 as USC&GS Whiting.

NOAAS Peirce, was an American survey ship that was in commission in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from 1970 to 1992. Previously, she had been in commission in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey from 1963 to 1970 as USC&GS Peirce.

NOAAS Oscar Dyson is an American fisheries and oceanographic research vessel in commission in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) fleet since 2005.

NOAAS Pisces is an American fisheries and oceanographic research vessel in commission in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) fleet since 2009.

Captain Nicholas Hunter Heck was a career officer of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps. A leading geophysicist of his time, Heck made important contributions in the study of seismology and oceanography. He also revolutionized hydrographic surveying by developing the wire-drag surveying technique and introduced radio acoustic ranging into Coast and Geodetic Survey hydrography.

References

Prézelin, Bernard, and A. D. Baker III, eds. The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World 1990/1991: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Armament. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute, 1990. ISBN 0-87021-250-8.
NOAA History, A Science Odyssey: Tools of the Trade: Coast and Geodetic Survey Ships: Mt. Mitchell

External links

"R/V Mt. Mitchell". 14 Nov 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-08-30. Retrieved 14 Nov 2011.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Per Combat Fleets of the World 2007, the complement is 69 (12 NOAA Corps officers, 5 licensed civilian officers and 52 other crew members) plus up to 4 scientists.

[2] Silverstone, Paul H., The Navy of the Nuclear Age 1947-2007, New York: Routledge, 2009, ISBN 0-415-97899-8, p. 309.

[program1992-3] 1 2 Program of Forty-Fourth Annual Honor Awards, United States Department of Commerce, November 9, 1992: Silver Medal Recipients: NOAA Ship Mt. Mitchell, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[4] InfoDefensa, Revista Defensa. "Uruguay confirma la compra del Mt. Mitchell y la adjudicación para la construcción de dos OPV en España". Infodefensa - Noticias de defensa, industria, seguridad, armamento, ejércitos y tecnología de la defensa (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-10-21.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Fairweather-class hydrographic survey ships
Fairweather Rainier Mount Mitchell
List of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ships