USNS ''Assertive'' (T-AGOS-9) was a ''Stalwart''-class Modified Tactical Auxiliary General

Ocean Surveillance Ship ''Stalwart''-class auxiliary general ocean surveillance ships ( T-AGOS) were a class of United States Naval Ship (USNS) auxiliary support Ocean Surveillance Ships commissioned between April 1984 and January 1990. Their original purpose was to c ...

of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

NOAA The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...

acquired ex-USNS ''Assertive'' from the

on 31 March 2004, intending to replace NOAA ''David Starr Jordan'' R444 after the ''Assertive'' underwent a conversion for research use to be completed by 2008. The planned NOAA conversion was never carried out because a study conducted by NOAA determined that building a new ship was more cost effective than converting the ''Assertive'' and on December 11, 2008 title was transferred from NOAA to

MARAD Marad (Sumerian: Marda, modern Tell Wannat es-Sadum or Tell as-Sadoum, Iraq) was an ancient Near Eastern city. Marad was situated on the west bank of the then western branch of the Upper Euphrates River west of Nippur in modern-day Iraq and roug ...

, then transferred on December 17, 2008 from MARAD to the Seattle Maritime Academy. The Seattle Maritime Academy intended to utilize the ship for 30-day at-sea training cruises during the summer months. During the rest of the year, the ''Assertive'' would be a dock side engineering laboratory. As of Summer 2009 the ''Assertive'' was off limits to students at SMA. Inspection by instructors and students shows that critical electrical systems are missing and shore power is limited to a section of the engine room. Sea birds have made a home in the bridge area. As of October 2012, the ''Assertive'' has been listed for sale.

References

* * Stalwart-class ocean surveillance ships Cold War auxiliary ships of the United States Ships built by Tacoma Boatbuilding Company 1986 ships {{US-mil-ship-stub