The ''Pathfinder''-class survey ships are owned by 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 ...
and operated by
Military Sealift Command for the
Naval Oceanographic Office
The Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO), located at John C. Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi, comprises approximately 1,000 civilian, military and contract personnel responsible for providing oceanographic products and services to al ...
("NAVOCEANO"). They have mostly civilian crews, including scientists from NAVOCEANO.
The ''Pathfinder''-class survey ships have three multipurpose cranes and five winches plus a variety of oceanographic equipment including multi-beam echo-sounders, towed sonars and expendable sensors. These ships are capable of carrying hydrographic survey launches (HSLs) for data collection in coastal regions with depths between and in deep water to . A small
diesel engine
The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...
is used for propulsion at towing speeds of up to . HSLs carry SIMRAD high-frequency active hull-mounted and side scan sonars. USNS ''Maury'', the most recent addition to the survey ship fleet, is equipped with an
moon pool
A moon pool is a feature of marine drilling platforms, drillships and diving support vessels, some marine research and underwater exploration or research vessels, and underwater habitats, in which it is also known as a wet porch. It is an o ...
for deploying and retrieving a variety of mission systems, including autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV).
The original contract for the ''Pathfinder'' class of surveying ships was awarded in January 1991 for two ships with an option for a third, which was taken up May 29, 1992. A fourth ship was ordered in October 1994 with an option for two more. A fifth ship was ordered January 15, 1997. Construction began on the sixth ship in the class in 1999. By early 2002, six ships had been delivered and were performing active missions for MSC. The contract for a seventh ship, USNS ''Maury'', was awarded in December 2009. In August 2014, USNS ''Sumner'', was deactivated, and USNS ''Maury'' was delivered on February 16, 2016, restoring the survey fleet to six ships.
On November 19, 2018, the Navy awarded a contract for advanced work for an eighth ''Pathfinder''-class ship.
Ships
There are eight ships in the ''Pathfinder'' class:
[https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/Press-Releases/display-pressreleases/Article/3252541/secnav-names-future-oceanographic-survey-ship-usns-robert-ballard/]
References
Auxiliary ship classes of the United States Navy
Auxiliary research ship classes
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