NOAAS Fairweather (S 220)

NOAA Ship Fairweather (S 220)
Career (United States)	_
Name:	Fairweather
Namesake:	Mount Fairweather in Alaska
Builder:	Aerojet-General Shipyards, Jacksonville, Florida
Launched:	March 1967
Acquired:	January 1968
Commissioned:	October 1968 (USCGS)
Out of service:	1989 - 2004
Reinstated:	August 2004 (NOAA)
Homeport:	Ketchikan, AK
Identification:	Call letters WTEB
Notes:	Served in U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1968-1970 Served in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 1970-1989 and since 2004
General characteristics
Tonnage:	1,591 tons
Displacement:	1,800 tons
Length:	231 ft (70.4 m)
Beam:	42 ft (12.8 m)
Draft:	15.5 ft (4.7 m)
Ice class:	A1 ice strengthened
Propulsion:	2 Detroit Electro-Motive Diesel engines, twin screw, controllable pitch propellers, 2400 shp Bow Thruster (variable pitch) Bridge Wing Controls (Engines, and Thruster) Port and Stbd
Speed:	13.5 knots
Range:	6,000 nautical miles
Endurance:	22 days
Boats and landing craft carried:	Four 28ft All-American Marine survey launches, One 17ft MonArk Skiff, One 23ft Zodiac FRB, One 23ft AMBAR Jet Boat
Complement:	Commissioned Officers: 8 Licensed Engineers: 4 Crew: 23 Scientists: 23 (Max)

The NOAA Ship Fairweather (S 220) is a research ship operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Fairweather primarily conducts hydrographic surveys in Alaskan waters, but is considered a multi-mission capable vessel. Fairweather has conducted fisheries research cruises, as well as Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) buoy operations. She is the sister ship of the NOAA Ship Rainier and the retired NOAA Ship Mount Mitchell.

Overview

Fairweather is named for Mount Fairweather in Alaska. She was commissioned into the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1968; when NOAA was established in 1970 and took over the Coast and Geodetic Survey's assets, she became part of the NOAA fleet. Deactivated in 1989, the ship remained alongside NOAA's Pacific Marine Center in Seattle, Washington, for thirteen years. After being refitted at the Cascade General Shipyard in Portland, Oregon, the ship was reactivated in 2004 to aid with the backlog of critical survey area in Alaskan waters. Her current homeport is Ketchikan, Alaska.

Crew

Fairweather, like all NOAA ships, is operated by commissioned officers of the NOAA Corps and civilian wage mariners. Fairweather has a complement of around 35 people, with additional berthing capability for visitors and scientists. The ship generally spends over 200 days per year at sea.

Equipment and Mission

Fairweather is equipped with two RESON model multibeam transducers (7111ER and 8160). Her four survey launches are equipped with RESON 7125 multibeam transducers. Using this technology, the crew of Fairweather fully maps the ocean floor. This data is primarily used to update NOAA's US Nautical charts, but is increasingly used in other areas such as tsunami displacement modeling, flood mapping, and mapping fish habitats.

External links

Media related to NOAAS Fairweather (S 220) at Wikimedia Commons

• "NOAA Ship FAIRWEATHER". May 5, 2004. http://www.moc.noaa.gov/fa/index.html. Retrieved May 8, 2007. 
• "About NOAA Ship FAIRWEATHER". May 5, 2006. http://www.moc.noaa.gov/fa/website/index.htm. Retrieved May 8, 2007.