NOAAS Mount Mitchell
Encyclopedia
NOAAS Mount Mitchell (S 222), previously USC&GS Mount Mitchell, was a survey vessel
Survey vessel
A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for mapping. It is a type of research vessel.-Role:The task of survey vessels is to map the bottom, benthic zone, full water column, and surface for the purpose of:* hydrography* general oceanography...
which served in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey from 1968 to 1970 and in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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...
survey vessel
Survey vessel
A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for mapping. It is a type of research vessel.-Role:The task of survey vessels is to map the bottom, benthic zone, full water column, and surface for the purpose of:* hydrography* general oceanography...
from 1970 to 1995.
Mount Mitchell was built at the Aerojet-General Shipyards in Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 29 November 1966, she was commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
into the Coast and Geodetic Survey in March 1968 as USC&GS Mount Mitchell. 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 was the sister ship of the and , which are both still in service.
Mount Mitchell operated as a multipurpose vessel. She had an oceanographic
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
, several echosounders, and an oceanographic winch
Winch
A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in or let out or otherwise adjust the "tension" of a rope or wire rope . In its simplest form it consists of a spool and attached hand crank. In larger forms, winches stand at the heart of machines as diverse as tow trucks, steam shovels and...
. She also had a hydroplot data-processing system, as did two of her survey
Hydrographic survey
Hydrographic survey is the science of measurement and description of features which affect maritime navigation, marine construction, dredging, offshore oil exploration/drilling and related disciplines. Strong emphasis is placed on soundings, shorelines, tides, currents, sea floor and submerged...
launches
Launch (boat)
A launch in contemporary usage refers to a large motorboat. The name originally referred to the largest boat carried by a warship. The etymology of the word is given as Portuguese lancha "barge", from Malay lancha, lancharan, "boat," from lanchar "velocity without effort," "action of gliding...
.
Mount Mitchell conducted hydrographic survey
Hydrographic survey
Hydrographic survey is the science of measurement and description of features which affect maritime navigation, marine construction, dredging, offshore oil exploration/drilling and related disciplines. Strong emphasis is placed on soundings, shorelines, tides, currents, sea floor and submerged...
s on the United States East Coast and in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, 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
Hydrography
Hydrography is the measurement of the depths, the tides and currents of a body of water and establishment of the sea, river or lake bed topography and morphology. Normally and historically for the purpose of charting a body of water for the safe navigation of shipping...
work related to establishing the maritime exclusive economic zone
Exclusive Economic Zone
Under the law of the sea, an exclusive economic zone is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, including production of energy from water and wind. It stretches from the seaward edge of the state's territorial sea out to 200 nautical...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and discovered Mitchell Dome among other large, economically significant undersea features in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. In 1992 she proceeded to the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
to study the effects of the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
oil spill
Oil spill
An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is mostly used to describe marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters...
s into the Gulf. After returning to the United States, she resumed operations as a hydrographic survey vessel until decommissioning
Ship decommissioning
To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....
in 1995.
R/V Mt. Mitchell: 2001 - Present
After decommissioning, Mount Mitchell was purchased in 2001 by Mt. Mitchell LLC and was completely refurbished and retro-fitted with the latest in electronics, machinery, and safety equipment. The vessel arrived in Seattle in 2003 and is managed and operated by Global Seas LLC, headquartered in Seattle, Washington.In 2008, the R/V Mt. Mitchell was outfitted with the most advanced underwater mapping equipment. The Kongsberg EM 120 and EM 710 High Resolution Multibeam Mapping Systems offer clients state-of-the-art capability to perform seabed mapping to full ocean depth with unrivaled resolution, coverage and accuracy. The EM 120 systems allows for accurate surveys down to 11,000 meters, while the EM 710 allows for accurate mapping down to 2,000 meters. 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 capability of the vessel to perform its science mission at full performance, the sonar systems are installed in a gondola arrangement below the ship's hull. In addition, custom designed propellers were installed in early 2011 to improve vessel efficiency. In 2008, the vessel has outfitted with stabilization tanks and anti-roll chocks which have eliminated much of the vessel’s natural roll making it an ideal platform for surveying. The Mt. Mitchell is a very quiet vessel in comparison to other commercial research platforms and the EM 710 sonar performance and acoustical testing demonstrated that it is identical to that obtained on the quietest US Navy research vessels.
The Mt. Mitchell also offers two launches. For shallow water surveying, the R/V Mt. Augustine is a 32’ Silver Streak Cuddy Cabin twin diesel vessel that is launched and retrieved through a Vestdavit system for safe and reliable operation. This vessel is outfitted with a multibeam side scan mount as well as adequate lab space. The Mt. Shishaldin is a 25’ Landing Craft that can seat 6 people and has a drop down bow for landing on remote beaches. This boat can be used for running crew to shore, tide gauging, and hauling ATV’s.