b'MEMBER NEWSKeel-Laying Ceremony at Thoma-Sea for NOAA New Charting and Mapping VesselT homa-Seawasjoinedby NationalOceanicandAt-mosphericAdministration (NOAA)leadershipandpartnersto celebrate the keel-laying for Surveyor, a new charting and mapping vesselbeing constructed for NOAA. The keel-laying is a centuries-old mar-itime tradition that formally recogniz-esthestartofashipsconstruction. During the ceremony, the initials of theshipssponsor,TraceyBrennan, the widow of NOAA Corps Rear Ad- beabletocarry,deploy,andrecover friendly EPA Tier IV diesel engines miral Rick Brennan, were welded ontomultiplecrewedanduncrewedvessels and emissions controls.a steel plate that will be incorporatedto support missions. At the time of into the ship during construction. thecontract,NOAAhadsetagoalThe name Surveyor nods to a key mis-of achieving net-zero emissions for sionofNOAAtoconductsurveysIn 2023, NOAA announced two newitsshipfleetby2050andthereforeof coasts and waterwaysand is also chartingandmappingvesselswouldbe required the new ships to incorporatethenameoftwoformerships.Like added to the NOAA fleet. The $624.6thelatesttechnologies,includingits namesakes, the new Surveyor will million contract was for the design andhigh-efficiency, environmentally homeport in Ketchikan, Alaska.build two advanced research vesselswithanoptionfortwomorevessels.Surveyor is expected to be completed in 2027 and Navigator in 2028. Theshipswillbeusedprimarily foroceanmappingandnautical charting as part of NOAAs mission todelivertoolsandinformationtohelp mariners safely navigate thenationsportsandharbors.These vesselswillhaveadditionalcapabil-itiestohelpassessandmanagelivingmarine resources and collect data for oceanographic monitoring, research andmodelingactivities.Theoriginalrequestforproposal noted that the new vessels must bePHOTO: NOAA able to accommodate 48 people and 45 AUGUST 2025'