NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson

09/20/2024

Congratulations Ensign Bornarth on your Underway Officer of the Deck qualification!

07/15/2024

“Go with the Flow”

Yesterday, NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson completed its hydrographic survey in the Gulf of Mexico and began its transit to Charleston, SC. The four-day voyage will take us past Key West where we will then enter the Gulf Stream to maximize our speed with an additional 2 to 3 knots. The Gulf Stream is an intense, warm ocean current in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Visit the link below to view the Gulf Stream(as a surface water current layer) and other real-time coastal meteorological, oceanographic, and hydrologic observations.

https://nowcoast.noaa.gov/

05/29/2024

Thrown right into the middle of so much change, we'd like to introduce out newest junior officers, Ensign Mitchell and Ensign Beaz. . They've done an amazing job learning the ship and its operations. We can't wait to see their continued progress. Welcome aboard!

05/24/2024

Join us for our Change of Command!

05/17/2024

Join us May 24 at 1000, for a livestream of NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson's Change of Command! We'll be wishing Capt. Matthew Jaskoski fair winds and following seas as he prepares for his next assignment, and welcoming Cmdr. Megan Guberski as its new commanding officer!

05/11/2024

This past Tuesday, Dr. Spinrad and Capt. Mowitt came aboard to visit NOAAS Thomas Jefferson to observe the Drix and some routine operations.

04/22/2024

"Mariners are advised to be cautions of a red hulled, submarine-like autonomous vessel operating in tandem with NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson..."

Thomas Jefferson and its survey launches are known assets in our mission of collecting hydrographic data. For our Savannah project, we'll be utilizing another system called DriX. Learn more about it through the link below and check out the photos to see how DriX fits into our operations while underway.

https://www.omao.noaa.gov/uncrewed-systems/news-media/article/what%E2%80%99s-drix-overview-noaa%E2%80%99s-newest-uncrewed-surface-vehicle

04/19/2024

April 15th, Thomas Jefferson got underway to start the second leg of its Savannah Project. This project is focuses on acquiring high-resolution bathymetry and backscatter data to superscede what was charted in the 1970s and 1990s. The goal of this project is to identify and chart all dangers to navigation and provide more modern bathymetry data to update National Ocean Service Nautical charting products and improve maritime safety for vessels transiting along the Atlantic Coast and through the Port of Savannah. Great job Ensign Castillo on conning us out!

Interested in our fleet, their homeports, and the missions they conduct? Check out this link to learn more about them. https://www.omao.noaa.gov/marine-operations/about

04/18/2024

Earlier this month, Thomas Jefferson reviewed routine operations while in transit to it's project area in Savannah, GA. See what we've been up to!

04/18/2024

12/29/2023

Introducing our new crewmember, Ensign Kathryn Bornarth from BOTC 142. Before joining NOAA Corps, she graduated from University of South Florida and worked as a project manager for a custom boat build and repair facility. We look forward to seeing that experience translate to TJ while it’s in drydock. Welcome aboard!

Are you interested in joining the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps? Check us out at: www.omao.noaa.gov/noaa-corps

12/29/2023

This November, NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson pulled into Detyens Shipyard for a drydock period. Plenty of work to be done, but we look forward to the fresh paint, refreshed equipment, and some down time before the next field season.

To learn more about why we enter these and other maintenance periods, check out this link:

https://www.omao.noaa.gov/omao/news-media/article/keeping-noaa%E2%80%99s-science-afloat-maintaining-noaa%E2%80%99s-fleet-research-vessels

09/27/2023

NOAA Ship Bigelow docking at MOC-A, Norfolk, VA in front of NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson.

09/27/2023

NOAA Ship Bigelow undocking from MOC-A, Norfolk, VA in front of NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson.

09/24/2023

NOAA R/V Bay Hydro II in transit while NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson conducts hydrographic survey operations on the Potomac River. NOAA R/V Bay Hydro II is one of our navigation response teams who in addition to conducting surveys to update nautical charts, are strategically located around the country and remain on call to respond to emergencies following storms.

https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/customer-service/navigation-response.html

09/24/2023

CME Tom Cleary and AE Otis Tate conduct maintenance on SSDG while underway.

09/23/2023

Seaman Surveyor Patrick Osborn operates a launch davit while XO, LCDR Jim Europe supervises davit operations on the Potomac River.

09/22/2023

This month, NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson completed it's project on the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay collecting nearly 4,820 linear nautical miles in an area last surveyed between 1960 and 1974. The purpose of this project was to supply NOAA National Water Center with modern bathymetric data to model rapid river stages, duration of high water, flooding, and drought.

Below can be seen the Old Hannibal target ship, an always above water wreck just outside of our project area.

08/06/2023

NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson has finished its work of the coast of Galveston and collected over 12,000 linear nautical miles of data. We were fortunate to enjoy a quick stop at Dry Tortugas, Loggerhead Key on the transit back to our home port Norfolk, VA. While home, we've taken the opportunity to maintain the ship and conduct some small boat training.

06/21/2023

Welcome to ! that in 2019 NOAA began testing the capabilities of various uncrewed systems, a.k.a nautical drones, to be used in conjunction with NOAA ships to gather hydrographic data? In 2022, DriX was deployed alongside NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson and the duo mapped the nearshore seafloor of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and the Great Lakes. Through the use of drones as a force multiplier, the features of navigable parts of oceans, lakes, and rivers can be measured at a much greater efficiency to develop nautical charts and other navigation tools.

Learn more ---> https://www.omao.noaa.gov/uxs/news-media/article/what%E2%80%99s-drix-overview-noaa%E2%80%99s-newest-uncrewed-surface-vehicle

05/23/2023

The NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson would like to wish a heartfelt goodbye to Ensign Cara Geiger as she departs the ship to report to her next assignment. Cara has sailed with the Thomas Jefferson since the summer of 2021. In that time, she served as the ship’s Bull Ensign, Officer of the Deck, Small Boat Coxswain, Hydrographer in Charge, and many other duties.
In addition to the various roles she served onboard Cara shared her passion for the field of meteorology with the crew of the Thomas Jefferson by writing and presenting a five part lecture series on different aspects of meteorology. These lectures were not only educational and engaging but left the crew with a better understanding of meteorological conditions that are relevant to the safe navigation of the ship and completion of its operations.
Cara’s professionalism, and positive attitude will be very missed by the entire crew. We wish her the best of luck and success in her career.
Fair winds and following seas, shipmate!

04/19/2023

This past weekend, NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson participated in Galveston's Tall Ship Festival of 2023! This was the first time this festival had been conducted in five years, with an attendance of over 50,000 people! The officers and crew aboard the ship worked hard to get the ship ready and open for over 1,840 people during two days of tours. We enjoyed educating the public on what we do and our plans in Galveston, Texas this summer. The NOAA Corps recruiting office sent us a variety of items to hand out to interested tourists. We even had the National Weather Service Houston/Galveston branch participate and set up a booth outside the ship. It was great to be alongside so many historic tall ships and fantastic crews! Special thank you to everyone that came out and supported us during this amazing event!

Photo credit: Ensign Cara Geiger, Ensign Forrest Foxen, Lieutenant Sydney Catoire

04/11/2023

Planning on attending Tall Ships Galveston later this week? Don't forget to stop by for a tour of NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson on Friday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.!

03/29/2023

Practice makes perfect!

While underway surveying this week, the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson Damage Control Officer's held training for crew members to get more familiar and comfortable with all fire gear aboard! Crew from all departments were able to try on the fire suit, don an SCBA (Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus), and go on air with their oxygen tank. This is what fire team members would don before entering a space in order to protect themselves from any harmful smoke or heat. It is essential that all fire team members have correct fitting gear and are comfortable donning this equipment in a matter of minutes in a real life emergency situation. Every second counts!

In addition to trying on gear, fire hose training was conducted to give crew members a better feel of the hose and its various settings. In a real emergency, fire team members would be operating this hose with their fire suit and gloves on, so it would be harder to grip the hose. Going into a space with smoke also requires fire team members to stay low to the ground in a kneeling position. It is crucial that two people going into a space maintain an elbow's length away in order to keep constant communications. Crew members paired up in teams and practiced this when operating the fire hose. Even though fire team members don their fire suits every week during our weekly fire drills, operating the fire hose is not something that is done on a regular basis. Therefore, it was a great opportunity for the crew to get a sense of what it’s like to control the powerful pressure of water in the hose. Thank you to Ensign Forrest Foxen and Ensign Norman Sween for putting this together!

Photo credit: Ensign Forrest Foxen, NOAA

03/13/2023

The NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson crew is very happy to be back underway and had a great first week of sailing! We are now in the center of the Gulf of Mexico as we approach our working grounds outside of Galveston, Texas. We sailed down the Atlantic Coast and around the Florida Keys to get here. Through the currents of the Gulf Stream and the marine life we have encountered along the way, it has been a fun adventure. We are excited to pull inport to Galveston on Friday and gear up for our first survey leg of the season!

Photo credit: Ensign Forrest Foxen, NOAA

03/09/2023

Superstitious sailors believe that the only good day to set sail is on Sundays. Therefore, the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson got underway on lucky Sunday to begin underway Operational Readiness Training (ORT)! We completed three days of ORT offshore Cape Henry and Cape Charles by conducting equipment testing and calibrations. Some of the training completed included heavy weather small boat picks, survey equipment emergency recovery procedures, anchoring drills, and steering casualty scenarios. We also completed one day of Hydrographic Systems Readiness Review (HSRR) offshore Cape Charles in preparation for upcoming survey operations. Our crew is getting back into the swing of things and excited for our journey ahead. Today, we began our transit south to Galveston, TX and are currently sailing past Cape Hatteras, NC. For those following our journey, we expect to pull into port on Friday, 3/17 for lucky St. Patrick's Day!

Photo credit: Ensign Forrest Foxen, NOAA

03/07/2023

Every week underway, the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson conducts abandon ship drills. In the event that the crew had to abandon ship, life rafts would be deployed for the crew to board while waiting for assistance to arrive. Therefore, it is extremely important to understand how to deploy a life raft and what is inside each one for survival purposes.

Our crew got the chance to put expired life rafts to good use while concluding our alongside Operational Readiness Training (ORT). Lieutenant Junior Grade Matthew Chonka from Marine Operations Center Atlantic (MOC-A) led this training for the entire crew aboard the ship. We learned the steps that go into deploying a life raft and got to see first hand how they deploy. Crew members were able to go inside a four person, twenty person, and twenty five person life raft. In addition, everyone learned what is inside a life raft to aid in survival purposes. Items such as water, food rations, sea sickness medication, signaling mirror, knife, sea anchor, and thermal protective aid are just a few examples of what to expect to find inside. This training helped our crew to be better prepared for an abandon ship scenario and further educated us on our life rafts that we walk past every day on the ship!

Photo credit: Ensign Cara Geiger, NOAA

03/02/2023

As part of alongside Operational Readiness Training (ORT), our crew participated in survey equipment training to gear up for survey operations. Here, Chief Survey Technician Erin Cziraki led a training focused on operating the Moving Vessel Profiler (MVP) and Side Scan Sonar (SSS). These are the instruments we deploy into the water while underway to collect survey data. Members of the survey department and wardroom participated in this training by learning how to operate each winch and proper commands.

Since these instruments go over the stern of the ship and it is not always flat calm sea conditions when we deploy them, it is crucial to ensure we learn and follow correct safety protocols. In addition, these instruments are expensive and delicate, so we must handle them with care by following each step correctly and timely. That is why this training was highly important for our crew to participate in and get excited about our upcoming survey operations!

Photo credit: Ensign Cara Geiger, NOAA

02/26/2023

In preparation for sailing, our entire crew recently participated in alongside Operational Readiness Training (ORT). This is a multi-day training that is designed to refresh crew members in various operations and focus on safety measures to ensure we have a successful and safe season. It also gives new and augmenting crew members the opportunity to learn more about what we do on board prior to sailing. Trainings are led by department chiefs, crew with certain qualifications, or officers with specific colllateral duties.

Here, Chief Boatswain Bernard Pooser led line handling training for the deck department, survey department, and wardroom. This training is important to understand how the anchor windlass works, how we use it to bring lines to power for tightening slack, and how we properly place lines to ensure they are ready to go. Since these evolutions happen quickly and rely heavily on understanding quick commands, trainings like this are extremely beneficial for our crew members to feel confident in their line handling abilities!

Photo credit: Ensign Cara Geiger, NOAA