NOAAS Nancy Foster
Encyclopedia
The NOAA Ship Nancy Foster (R 352) is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
research vessel
.
She was originally built as a Navy yard torpedo test craft, Agate Pass (YTT 12), at McDermott Shipyards in Amelia, Louisiana
and launched in September, 1990. In 2001, the Navy transferred the vessel to NOAA, outfitted to conduct coastal research along the U.S. Atlantic/Gulf coasts, and the Caribbean, and was commissioned May 10, 2004.
The ship is named for Dr. Nancy Foster, who was the director of the National Marine Fisheries Service
’s Office of Protected Resources from 1986 until 1993, and the director of the National Ocean Service
from 1997 until her death in 2000.
The hull of the ship is 186 feet (56.7 m) long with a beam of 40 ft (12.1 m) and a draft of 12 ft 10 in (3.9 m). The ship has a total of 37 bunk spaces. She carries a complement of 6 NOAA Corps
officers, 15 crew including 3 licensed engineers, and up to 15 visiting scientists.
The deck equipment features two winches and two deck cranes, along with an aft A-Frame
and a port side A-Frame. This equipment gives the crew of the Nancy Foster the ability to do a variety of over-the-side oceanographic operations including launching and tending Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) and conductivity, temperature and depth
(CTD) operations. She also has hull mounted transducers that support multi-beam surveys, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiling
(ADCP) and shallow water surveying.
Nancy Foster supports applied research for the NOAA National Ocean Service's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management and the National Marine Sanctuary Program, and the NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research's Office of Ocean Exploration, Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, the National Undersea Research Program, and the National Sea Grant College Program. Operations include the characterization of various habitats in NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries, pollution assessments, and studies to improve understanding of the connection between marine habitats and estuaries. The ship supports scientific data collection through bottom fish trawling, sediment sampling, side-scan sonar
and multi-beam surveying, sub-bottom profiling, core sampling, scientific diving with air and Nitrox, ROV operations, and servicing oceanographic/atmospheric surface and subsurface buoys. The vessel employs state of the art navigation and propulsion systems resulting in high quality and efficient data collection.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
research vessel
Research vessel
A research vessel is a ship designed and equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel, others require a dedicated vessel...
.
She was originally built as a Navy yard torpedo test craft, Agate Pass (YTT 12), at McDermott Shipyards in Amelia, Louisiana
Amelia, Louisiana
Amelia is a census-designated place in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,423 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Amelia is located at ....
and launched in September, 1990. In 2001, the Navy transferred the vessel to NOAA, outfitted to conduct coastal research along the U.S. Atlantic/Gulf coasts, and the Caribbean, and was commissioned May 10, 2004.
The ship is named for Dr. Nancy Foster, who was the director of the National Marine Fisheries Service
National Marine Fisheries Service
The National Marine Fisheries Service is a United States federal agency. A division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Commerce, NMFS is responsible for the stewardship and management of the nation's living marine resources and their habitat within the...
’s Office of Protected Resources from 1986 until 1993, and the director of the National Ocean Service
National Ocean Service
The National Ocean Service , an office within the U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is responsible for preserving and enhancing the nation’s coastal resources and ecosystems along of shoreline bordering of coastal, Great Lakes, and ocean waters...
from 1997 until her death in 2000.
The hull of the ship is 186 feet (56.7 m) long with a beam of 40 ft (12.1 m) and a draft of 12 ft 10 in (3.9 m). The ship has a total of 37 bunk spaces. She carries a complement of 6 NOAA Corps
NOAA Corps
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps is one of seven federal uniformed services of the United States, which operates under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , a scientific agency within the Department of Commerce...
officers, 15 crew including 3 licensed engineers, and up to 15 visiting scientists.
The deck equipment features two winches and two deck cranes, along with an aft A-Frame
A-Frame
An A-frame is a basic structure designed to bear a load in a lightweight economical manner. The simplest form of an A-frame is two similarly sized beams, arranged in a 45-degree or greater angle, attached at the top...
and a port side A-Frame. This equipment gives the crew of the Nancy Foster the ability to do a variety of over-the-side oceanographic operations including launching and tending Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) and conductivity, temperature and depth
Conductivity, temperature, depth
A CTD profiler is an essential instrument of physical and biological oceanographic field research. Operated from a ship, it greatly contributes to our understanding of ocean dynamics by gathering information on the distribution and variation of the ocean's properties...
(CTD) operations. She also has hull mounted transducers that support multi-beam surveys, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiling
Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler
An Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler is a sonar that attempts to produce a record of water current velocities for a range of depths. They are made of ceramic materials, and contain transducers, an amplifier, a receiver, a mixer, an oscillator, a clock, a temperature sensor, a compass, a pitch and...
(ADCP) and shallow water surveying.
Nancy Foster supports applied research for the NOAA National Ocean Service's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management and the National Marine Sanctuary Program, and the NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research's Office of Ocean Exploration, Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, the National Undersea Research Program, and the National Sea Grant College Program. Operations include the characterization of various habitats in NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries, pollution assessments, and studies to improve understanding of the connection between marine habitats and estuaries. The ship supports scientific data collection through bottom fish trawling, sediment sampling, side-scan sonar
Side-scan sonar
Side-scan sonar is a category of sonar system that is used to efficiently create an image of large areas of the sea floor...
and multi-beam surveying, sub-bottom profiling, core sampling, scientific diving with air and Nitrox, ROV operations, and servicing oceanographic/atmospheric surface and subsurface buoys. The vessel employs state of the art navigation and propulsion systems resulting in high quality and efficient data collection.