USNS ''Marie Tharp'' (T-AGS-66) is a oceanographic

survey ship A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for underwater surveys, usually to collect data for mapping or planning underwater construction or mineral extraction. It is a type of research vessel, and may be designed for the purpo ...

operated by the

Military Sealift Command Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US m ...

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 ...

. The seventh ship in her class, ''Marie Tharp'' is named for oceanographer Marie Tharp; the ship was renamed in 2023 from ''Maury''. The-then ''Maury''s

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

was laid on 1 February 2011 in a ceremony at the VT Halter Marine shipyard in Moss Point, Mississippi. The hull was launched on 27 March 2013 and the ship was delivered on 16 February 2016. ''Maury'' completed her maiden voyage in June 2016.

Details

''Marie Tharp'' was the first oceanographic survey ship built since was launched in 2000. At approximately , ''Marie Tharp'' is longer than her other

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...

s in the same class. This modification is to accommodate a moon pool for unmanned vehicle deployment and retrieval.

Name change

The

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (; NDAA 2020Pub.L. 116-92 is a United States federal law which specifies the budget, expenditures and policies of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) for fiscal year 2020. Analogous ...

created a new Naming Commission to examine names across the US armed forces that honor the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

, the group of states that attempted to break away from the US during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. In September 2022, the Naming Commission recommended the renaming of ''Maury'' and cruiser , with the new names to be decided by the

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

. ''Maury'' was named after military officer and diplomatic envoy Matthew Fontaine Maury, the "Father of Modern Oceanography" who resigned from a 36-year career in the US Navy to accept a command in the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War. On 8 March 2023,

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...

, the US Navy Secretary, Carlos Del Toro, announced the ship would be renamed in honor of oceanographer Marie Tharp, best known for helping produce the first scientific map of the Atlantic Ocean floor.SECNAV Renames Pathfinder-class Oceanographic Survey Ship USNS Maury after Marie Tharp
Media Release,

, 2023-03-08Navy Renames Survey Ship After Pioneering Female Ocean Researcher, Stripping Vessel of Confederate Ties
Konstantin Toropin, Military.com, 2023-03-08 The renaming was formally completed in the Naval Vessel Register on 13 March 2023.

References

External links

USNS Maury (T-AGS 66)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marie Tharp (T-AGS-66) Pathfinder-class survey ships Ships built in Moss Point, Mississippi 2013 ships