posted 09-24-2012 11:25 AM               

Navy Announces Research Vessel to be Named in Honor of Neil Armstrong

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today that the first Armstrong-class Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research (AGOR) ship will be named Neil Armstrong.

Mabus named the future R/V Neil Armstrong (AGOR 27) to honor the memory of Neil Armstrong, best known for being the first man to walk on the moon. Armstrong was an aeronautics pioneer and explorer for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) serving as an engineer, test pilot, astronaut and administrator. Armstrong also served as a naval aviator flying nearly 80 combat missions during the Korean War.

"Neil Armstrong rightly belongs to the ages as the man who first walked on the moon. While he was a true pioneer of space exploration and science, he was also a combat-proven naval aviator," said Mabus. "Naming this class of ships and this vessel after Neil Armstrong honors the memory of an extraordinary individual, but more importantly, it reminds us all to embrace the challenges of exploration and to never stop discovering."

Armstrong's widow, Carol, will serve as the ship's sponsor.

The Armstrong-class AGOR ship will be a modern oceanographic research platform equipped with acoustic equipment capable of mapping the deepest parts of the oceans, and modular on-board laboratories that will provide the flexibility to meet a wide variety of oceanographic research challenges. These make them capable of supporting a wide range of oceanographic research activities conducted by academic institutions and national laboratories. Additionally, the research vessel will be outfitted with multi-drive, low-voltage diesel electric propulsion systems. This upgraded system will maintain engine efficiency while lowering maintenance and fuel costs.

Armstrong-class AGOR ships will be 238 feet in length, have a beam length of 50 feet, and operate at more than 12 knots. AGOR 27 is currently under construction by Dakota Creek Industries, Inc. in Anacortes, Wash.

posted 02-25-2014 03:33 AM               

R/V Neil Armstrong launched at shipyard

On the morning of Feb. 20, 2013, the R/V Neil Armstrong was slowly lowered into the water at Dakota Creek Industries shipyard over the course of several hours.

Yard workers took advantage of a neap tide, in which the difference between high and low water is at a minimum, in order to reduce the effect of currents on the ship during the operation.

Photos of the R/V Neil Armstrong's construction can be viewed here.

(Photos credit: Gary McGrath/WHOI)

Below: Stern transom of the freshly painted R/V Neil Armstrong prior to its launch.

posted 03-28-2014 11:58 PM               

Navy to Christen Research Vessel Neil Armstrong

The U.S. Navy will christen the Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research (AGOR) R/V Neil Armstrong (AGOR 27) during a ceremony March 29 at the Port of Anacortes Transit Shed in Anacortes, Wash.

In keeping with tradition, Carol Armstrong, the ship's sponsor, will break a bottle of sparkling wine against the ship and christen it in the name of her late husband, astronaut Neil Armstrong.

"The christening of the Neil Armstrong, a state-of-the art research vessel, is a fitting tribute to a man whose work as a naval aviator and astronaut inspired generations of Americans to look beyond the horizon, to strive to achieve the seemingly impossible," said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. "This ceremony honors not only this great man, but the hundreds of people whose tireless efforts in constructing this ship led to this day, a day when the spirit of discovery and exploration is celebrated as it should be."

Mabus named R/V Neil Armstrong (AGOR 27) to honor the memory of Neil Armstrong, best known for being the first man to walk on the moon. Armstrong was an aeronautics pioneer and explorer for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) serving as an engineer, test pilot, astronaut and administrator. Armstrong also served as a naval aviator flying nearly 80 combat missions during the Korean War.

The Neil Armstrong-class of research vessels are modern research vessels based on a commercial design, capable of integrated, interdisciplinary, general purpose oceanographic research in coastal and deep ocean areas. R/V Neil Armstrong, the first in its class, is being constructed by Dakota Creek Industries Inc.

Additionally, the Neil Armstrong class will feature a modern suite of oceanographic equipment, state of the art acoustic equipment capable of mapping the deepest parts of the oceans, advanced over-the-side handling gear to deploy and retrieve scientific instruments, emissions controls for stack gasses, and new information technology tools both for monitoring shipboard systems and for communicating with land-based sites worldwide. Enhanced modular onboard laboratories and extensive science payload capacity will provide the ships with the flexibility to meet a wide variety of oceanographic research challenges in the coming decades.

The Navy currently owns six of the nation's largest oceanographic research ships, which support critical naval research in forward deployed areas of the world's oceans, as well as the needs of other federal agencies. A major segment of the U.S. research fleet is now approaching the end of its service life and is in need of replacement.

R/V Neil Armstrong will be U.S. flagged, manned by a commercial crew, and will be operated by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution under a contract with the U.S. government.

posted 03-31-2014 01:08 AM               

R/V Neil Armstrong: Navy christens ocean research ship for first moonwalker

You could call it one small step for a ship, one giant leap for oceanographic research.

The U.S. Navy named the first of a new class of research vessels after the first man to walk on the moon, astronaut Neil Armstrong, during a ceremony Saturday (March 29) at the Port of Anacortes Transit Shed in Washington.

Carol Armstrong, the ship sponsor, followed naval tradition breaking a bottle of sparkling wine against the Navy's 27th auxiliary general oceanographic research (AGOR-27) ship, christening it in the name of her late husband.

posted 04-06-2016 01:33 PM               

R/V Neil Armstrong arrives at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

The world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to studying marine science and engineering took a giant leap forward on Wednesday (April 6), welcoming its new research vessel, the R/V Neil Armstrong, to its port in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

The 238-foot-long (72.5 m) ship, which was named in 2014 for the first man to walk on the moon, arrived at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), where it was met by an audience of invited guests that included members of Armstrong's family and a space station commander.

"Welcome to the Neil Armstrong," said Sunita Williams, a NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy Captain who flew twice to the International Space Station. "It's really great to see her here to start her new career."

See here for discussion of the U.S. Navy's naming ships for astronauts.