View source for Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

{{Short description|US platforms operated by NOAA}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}} {{Use American English|date=January 2024}}
[[File:WP-3D Orion new paint scheme.jpg|thumb|A NOAA [[Lockheed WP-3D Orion]] used for hurricane reconnaissance missions.]]

The '''Office of Marine and Aviation Operations''' (OMAO) is a division of the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] (NOAA) which operates a wide variety of specialized ships and aircraft to carry out the environmental and scientific missions of NOAA.

==Administration==

NOAA′s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) operates NOAA′s aircraft and ships. OMAO also manages the [[NOAA Small Boat Program]] and the [[NOAA Diving Program]], the latter having as part of its mission the job of ensuring a level of diving skill conducive to safe and efficient operations in NOAA-sponsored underwater activities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.omao.noaa.gov/|title=Office of Marine and Aviation Operations &#124;|website=www.omao.noaa.gov}}</ref>

A [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps]] (NOAA Corps) [[Rear admiral (United States)|rear admiral]] serves as both the director of the [[NOAA Corps]] and of OMAO. A NOAA Corps [[Rear admiral (United States)#Rear admiral (lower half)|rear admiral (lower half)]] serves as the director of the Marine and Aviation Operations Centers.

==Manning and resource management==
NOAA's aircraft and ships are operated and managed by a combination of NOAA Corps officers, NOAA civilians, and wage marine employees. NOAA Corps officers and OMAO civilians frequently serve as chief scientists on program missions. Aboard NOAA ships, NOAA Corps officers perform administrative duties and are responsible for the navigation of the vessels, while NOAA civilians and wage marine employees serve as licensed engineers, mechanics,  navigators, technicians, and members of the engine, steward, and deck departments. Aboard both aircraft and ships, NOAA Corps officers and civilian crew members provide mission support and assistance to embarked scientists from various NOAA laboratories and the academic community.

To complement NOAA's aircraft and ship fleets, OMAO contracts for ship and aircraft time with other sources, such as the private sector and universities.

==Aircraft==
[[File:NOAA_Aircraft_Operations_Center_Hangar_interior.jpg|thumb|NOAA's two [[Lockheed WP-3D Orion]] aircraft along with a [[De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter]] (foreground) and a [[Beechcraft King Air]] inside the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center hangar in Lakeland, Florida.]]
NOAA's [[Aircraft Operations Center]] (AOC) is home to NOAA's fleet of aircraft. It has been located at [[Lakeland Linder International Airport]] in [[Lakeland, Florida]], since June 2017. Prior to its move to Lakeland, the AOC resided at [[MacDill Air Force Base]] in [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]], Florida, from January 1993 to June 2017.<ref>{{cite web|title=NOAA awards 10-year lease to City of Lakeland, Florida, to house NOAA Aircraft Operations Center|url=http://www.noaa.gov/media-release/noaa-awards-10-year-lease-to-city-of-lakeland-florida-to-house-noaa-aircraft|publisher=NOAA|accessdate=28 July 2017}}</ref> 

NOAA aircraft often operate over open ocean, mountains, coastal wetlands, Arctic pack ice, and in and around [[hurricane]]s and other severe weather. The aircraft collect environmental and geographic data for NOAA hurricane and other weather and atmospheric research (including as part of the [[NOAA Hurricane Hunters]] program; provide aerial support for coastal and aeronautical charting and remote sensing projects; conduct aerial surveys for hydrologic research; support NOAA's [[Fisheries science|fishery research]] and [[marine mammal]] assessment programs; and provide support to emergency response managers during and after natural disasters.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Aircraft
! In service
!Orders
! Registration #
! Introduced
!Notes
|-
| [[Beechcraft Super King Air]] 350CER
| 3
|—
| N67RF, N68RF, N65RF
| 2009
|
|-
| [[De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter]]
| 4
|—
| N46RF, N48RF, N56RF, N57RF
| 1994
|
|-
| [[Gulfstream IV]]-SP
| 1
|—
| N49RF
| 2022
|
|-
| [[Lockheed WP-3D Orion]]
| 2
|—
| N42RF, N43RF
| 1976
|
|-
|[[Lockheed WC-130J]]
|—
|2
|
|''2030''
|To replace Lockheed WP-3D Orion<ref>https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/noaa-awards-contract-for-next-generation-hurricane-hunter-aircraft</ref>
|}

NOAA also operates [[unmanned aerial vehicle]]s.<ref>[https://www.omao.noaa.gov/find/fleet/aircraft NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations: Aircraft Accessed 27 October 2022]</ref>

=== Past ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Aircraft <ref>{{cite web |last1=Dorst |first1=Neal M. |title=The National Hurricane Research Center - 50 Years of Research, Rough Rides, and Name Changes |url=https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/general/lib/lib1/nhclib/Publications/TheNHRE50yearsofresearch.pdf |website=aoml.noaa.gov |accessdate=21 July 2020}}</ref>
! Qty.
! Purchasing Agency
! Introduced
! Retired
|-
| [[Boeing B-50 Superfortress|Boeing WB-50A Superfortress]]
| 2
| [[National Hurricane Research Laboratory|NHRL]]
| 1956
| 1958
|-
| [[Boeing B-47 Stratojet|Boeing WB-47E Stratojet]]
| 1
| NHRL
| 1956
| 1960
|-
| [[Douglas DC-6|Douglas DC-6B]]
| 2
| NHRL
| 1960
| 1975
|-
| [[Douglas A-26 Invader|Douglas WB-26 Invader]]
| 1
| NHRL
| 1961
| 1965
|-
| [[Martin B-57 Canberra|Martin WB-57A Canberra]]
| 1
| NHRL
| 1960
| 1971
|-
| [[Douglas C-54 Skymaster|Douglas WC-54D Skymaster]]
| 1
| NHRL
| 1961
| 1965
|-
| [[Lockheed WC-130|Lockheed WC-130B]]
| 1
| NHRL
| 1970
| 1981
|-
| [[Aero Commander 500]]
| 2
| NOAA
| 1984
| 2023
|-
| [[Lake Renegade]]
| ?
| NOAA
| ?
| ?
|-
| [[Cessna Citation II]]
| ?
| NOAA
| ?
| ?
|-
| [[Bell 212]]
| ?
| NOAA
| ?
| ?
|-
|[[Aero Commander 1000|Gulfstream Turbo Commander 695A]]
|1
|NOAA
|2004
|
|}

==Ships==
===Fleet origins===

NOAA{{'}}s ship fleet traces it ancestry to the fleets of the Survey of the Coast and of the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries, widely referred to as the [[United States Fish Commission]]. The Survey of the Coast, established in 1807, became the United States Coast Survey in 1836 and then the [[United States Coast and Geodetic Survey]] in 1878, and it operated a fleet of [[survey ship]]s that conducted [[hydrographic survey]]s along the coasts of the [[United States]] and its [[Territories of the United States|territories]]. The Fish Commission, which became the [[United States Bureau of Fisheries]] in 1903, operated a fleet that included [[Fishery|fisheries]] [[research ship]]s until 1940, when the Bureau of Fisheries was abolished and its fleet was transferred to the [[United States Department of the Interior|Department of the Interior]]′s new  Fish and Wildlife Service. In a major reorganization in 1956, the Fish and Wildlife Service became the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]], and its new  Bureau of Commercial Fisheries took control of the seagoing fisheries research fleet.

The NOAA fleet was created when various [[United States Government]] scientific agencies merged to form NOAA on 3 October 1970. At that time, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service{{'}}s Bureau of Commercial Fisheries were abolished, and the ships that had constituted their fleets combined to form the new NOAA fleet. At first, the major ships that were to constitute the new fleet reported to separate entities, with former Coast and Geodetic Survey ships subordinate to the National Ocean Survey (renamed the [[National Ocean Service]] in 1983, the Coast and Geodetic Survey's successor organization within NOAA), while former Bureau of Commercial Fisheries ships reported to the [[National Marine Fisheries Service]] (the successor agency within NOAA of the Fish Commission, Bureau of Fisheries, and Bureau of Commercial Fisheries). Via a phased process during 1972 and 1973, however, the ships of the National Ocean Survey and National Marine Fisheries Service, as well as those of the Environmental Research Laboratories, integrated to form a consolidated and unified NOAA fleet, operated by the National Ocean Survey's Office of Fleet Operations.<ref name=afsctimeline>[https://www.afsc.noaa.gov/History/timeline/default.htm#1970 noaa.gov AFSC Historical Corner - Timeline of Significant Events Retrieved August 23, 2018]</ref>

===Ship operations===
The NOAA fleet provides hydrographic survey, [[Oceanography|oceanographic]] and atmospheric research, and fisheries research vessels to support the elements of NOAA's strategic plan and mission. NOAA's Fleet Allocation Council manages and allocates the time each ship spends on various missions and projects based on user requests.<ref name=afsctimeline/> Some ships of the fleet are vessels retired from the [[United States Navy]] or other maritime services. The vessels are located in various locations around the United States. The ships are managed by the Marine Operations Center, which has offices in [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], [[Virginia]], and [[Newport, Oregon|Newport]], [[Oregon]]. Logistic support for these vessels is provided by the Marine Operations Center offices or, for vessels with [[home port]]s at [[Woods Hole, Massachusetts|Woods Hole]], [[Massachusetts]]; [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]], [[South Carolina]]; [[Pascagoula, Mississippi|Pascagoula]], [[Mississippi]]; [[San Diego, California|San Diego]], [[California]]; or [[Honolulu, Hawaii|Honolulu]], [[Hawaii]], by port captains located in those ports.

===NOAA research and survey vessels===
Upon its creation on 3 October 1970, NOAA took control of all ships previously operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Bureau of Commercial Fisheries and the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. NOAA has since [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] many of these ships and replaced them with ships acquired from the U.S. Navy or new ships built specifically for NOAA.

The names of NOAA ships are preceded by the prefix "NOAAS" (for "National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ship") and followed by a unique [[hull classification symbol]], or "hull number," made up of a letter indicating whether the vessel is a research ship (R) or survey ship (S), followed by a three-digit number. Each hull classification symbol is unique among NOAA ships currently in [[Ship commissioning|commission]], although in some cases NOAA uses a hull classification symbol identical to one it used previously for a ship that it has since decommissioned.

====Present Fleet====
=====Fisheries research ships=====
* {{ship|NOAAS|Bell M. Shimada|R 227}} (in service 2010&ndash;present)
* [[RV Gloria Michelle|RV ''Gloria Michelle'']] (in noncommissioned service 1980&ndash;present)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Gordon Gunter|R 336}}<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.moc.noaa.gov/gu/index.html | title = NOAAS Gordon Gunter | publisher = NOAA | accessdate = 2013-05-05 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110526144622/http://www.moc.noaa.gov/gu/index.html | archive-date = 2011-05-26 | url-status = dead }}</ref> (in service 1998&ndash;present; previously with [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] as {{USNS|Relentless|T-AGOS-18}} 1990&ndash;1993)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Henry B. Bigelow|R 225}} (in service 2007&ndash;present)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Oregon II|R 332}}<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.moc.noaa.gov/ot/index.html | title = NOAAS Oregon II | publisher = NOAA | accessdate = 2013-05-05}}</ref> (in service 1977&ndash;present)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Oscar Dyson|R 224}} (in service 2005&ndash;present)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Oscar Elton Sette|R 335}}<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.moc.noaa.gov/os/index.html | title = NOAAS Oscar Elton Sette | publisher = NOAA | accessdate = 2013-05-05 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110526144802/http://www.moc.noaa.gov/os/index.html | archive-date = 2011-05-26 | url-status = dead }}</ref> (in service 2003&ndash;present; previously with U.S. Navy as {{USNS|Adventurous|T-AGOS-13}} 1988&ndash;1992)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Pisces|R 226}}<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.omao.noaa.gov/pisces_launch.html | title = NOAAA Fisheries Research Vessel PISCES Christening and Launch | publisher = NOAA | accessdate = 2013-05-05 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130218110327/http://www.omao.noaa.gov/pisces_launch.html | archive-date = 2013-02-18 | url-status = dead }}</ref> (in service 2009&ndash;present)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Reuben Lasker|R 228}} (in service 2014&ndash;present)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Ronald H. Brown|R 104}} (in service 1997&ndash;present)

=====Gallery - fisheries research ships=====
<gallery class="center" widths="120px" heights="80px" >
File:NOAA Ship Bell M Shimada underway.jpg|NOAAS ''Bell M. Shimada'' (R 227)
File:RV Gloria Michelle.jpg|RV ''Gloria Michelle''
File:NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter.jpg|NOAAS ''Gordon Gunter'' (R 336)
File:NOAAS Henry B. Bigelow (R 225).jpg|NOAAS ''Henry B. Bigelow'' (R 225)
File:NOAAS Oregon II (R 332).jpg|NOAAS ''Oregon II'' (R 332)
File:NOAAS Oscar Dyson (R 224).jpg|NOAAS ''Oscar Dyson'' (R 224)
File:NOAAS Oscar Elton Sette (R 335).jpg|NOAAS ''Oscar Elton Sette'' (R 335)
File:NOAAS Pisces (R 226).jpg|NOAAS ''Pisces'' (R 226)
File:NOAAS Reuben Lasker (R 228).jpg|NOAAS ''Reuben Lasker'' (R 228)
File:NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown.jpg|NOAAS ''Ronald H. Brown'' (R 104)
</gallery>

=====Hydrographic/oceanographic/atmospheric research ships=====
* {{ship|RV|Bay Hydro II||6}} (in noncommissioned service 2009&ndash;present)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Discoverer|2024}} (under construction; to enter service 2026)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Fairweather|S 220}} (in service 1970&ndash;1989 and 2004&ndash;present; previously with [[United States Coast and Geodetic Survey|U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey]] 1968&ndash;1970)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Ferdinand R. Hassler|S 250}} (in service 2012&ndash;present)
* [[RV Manta (2008)|RV ''Manta'']] (in noncommissioned service 2008&ndash;present)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Nancy Foster|R 352}} (in service 2004&ndash;present; previously with U.S. Navy as {{USS|Agate Pass|YT-112}} 1991&ndash;1999)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Oceanographer|2024}} ([[Fitting-out|fitting out]]; to enter service early 2025)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Okeanos Explorer|R 337}} (in service 2008&ndash;present; previously with U.S. Navy as {{USNS|Capable|T-AGOS-16}} 1989&ndash;2004)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Rainier|S 221}} (in service 1970&ndash;present; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1968&ndash;1970)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Ronald H. Brown|R 104}} (in service 1997&ndash;present)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Thomas Jefferson|S 222}} (in service 2003&ndash;present; previously with U.S. Navy as {{USNS|Littlehales|T-AGS-52}} 1992&ndash;2003)

=====Gallery - hydrographic/oceanographic/atmospheric research ships=====
<gallery class="center" widths="120px" heights="80px" >
File:RV Bay Hydro II.PNG|RV ''Bay Hydro II'' (S&nbsp;5401)
File:NOOA Ship Fairweather.jpg|NOAAS ''Fairweather'' (S&nbsp;220)
File:Meet the Hassler (7803476322).jpg|NOAAS ''Ferdinand R. Hassler'' (S 250)
File:NOAAS Nancy Foster.jpg|NOAAS ''Nancy Foster'' (R 352)
File:NOAA R337 Okeanos Explorer.jpg|NOAAS ''Okeanos Explorer'' (R 337)
File:NOAA Ship Rainier.jpg|NOAAS ''Rainier'' (S 221)
File:NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown.jpg|NOAAS ''Ronald H. Brown'' (R 104) 
File:Ship1367 (9687036552).jpg|NOAAS ''Thomas Jefferson'' (S 222)
</gallery>

====Past Fleet====
* {{ship|NOAAS|Albatross IV|R 342}} (in service 1970&ndash;2008; previously with [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service|U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]]{{'}}s Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 1963&ndash;1970)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Chapman|R 446}} (in service 1980&ndash;1998)
* {{ship|NOAAS|David Starr Jordan|R 444}}<ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.moc.noaa.gov/ds/index.html | title = NOAAS David Starr Jordan | publisher = NOAA | accessdate = 2013-05-05}}</ref> (in service 1970&ndash;2010; previously with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service{{'}}s Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 1966&ndash;1970)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Davidson|S 331}} (in service 1970&ndash;1989; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1967&ndash;1970)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Delaware II|R 445}} (in service 1970&ndash;2012; previously with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service{{'}}s Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 1968-1970)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Discoverer|R 102}} (in service 1970&ndash;1996; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1967&ndash;1970)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Ferrel|S 492}}<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.moc.noaa.gov/fe/index.htm | title = NOAAS Ferrell | publisher = NOAA | accessdate = 2013-05-05}}</ref> (in service 1970&ndash;2002; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1968&ndash;1970)
* {{ship|NOAAS|George B. Kelez|R 441}} (in service 1970&ndash;1980; previously with U.S. Army 1944&ndash;1950, U.S. Navy 1950&ndash;1961, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service{{'}}s Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 1962&ndash;1970)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Heck|S 591}} (in service 1970&ndash;1995; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1967&ndash;1970)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Hi'ialakai|R 334}} (in service 2004&ndash;2020; previously with U.S. Navy as {{USNS|Vindicator|T-AGOS-3}} 1984&ndash;1993 and with [[United States Coast Guard|U.S. Coast Guard]] as USCGC ''Vindicator'' (WMEC-3) 1994&ndash;2001)
* {{ship|NOAAS|John N. Cobb|R 552}} (in service 1970&ndash;2008; previously with Fish and Wildlife Service 1950&ndash;1956 and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service{{'}}s Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 1956&ndash;1970)
* [[NOAAS Ka'imimoana (R 333)|NOAAS ''Ka'imimoana'' (R 333)]]<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.moc.noaa.gov/ka/index.html | title = NOAAS Ka’Imimoana | publisher = NOAA | accessdate = 2013-05-05 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110526144715/http://www.moc.noaa.gov/ka/index.html | archive-date = 2011-05-26 | url-status = dead }}</ref> (in service 1996&ndash;2014; previously with U.S. Navy as {{USNS|Titan|T-AGOS-15}} 1988&ndash;1993)
* NOAAS ''Malcolm Baldrige'' (R 103), see {{ship|NOAAS|Researcher|R 103}}
* {{ship|NOAAS|McArthur|S 330}} (in service 1970&ndash;2003; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1966&ndash;1970)
* {{ship|NOAAS|McArthur II|R 330}} (in service 2003&ndash;2014; previously with U.S. Navy as {{USNS|Indomitable|T-AGOS-7}} 1985&ndash;2002)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Miller Freeman|R 223}}<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.moc.noaa.gov/mf/index.html | title = NOAAS Miller Freeman | publisher = NOAA | accessdate = 2013-05-05}}</ref> (in service 1975-2013; previously with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service{{'}}s Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 1967-1970)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Mount Mitchell|S 222}} (in service 1970-1995; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1968-1970)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Murre II|R 663}} (in service 1970-1989; previously with U.S. Army 1943–1949 and Fish and Wildlife Service 1949–1970)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Oceanographer|R 101}} (in service 1970&ndash;1981, 1986&ndash;1989, and ?&ndash;1996; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1966&ndash;1970)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Oregon|R 551}} (in service 1970&ndash;1980; previously with Fish and Wildlife Service 1950&ndash;1956 and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service{{'}}s Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 1956&ndash;1970)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Peirce|S 328}} (in service 1970&ndash;1992; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1963&ndash;1970)
* {{ship|MV|Pribilof}} (in service with NOAA's [[National Marine Fisheries Service]] 1970&ndash;1975; previously with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service{{'}}s Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 1963&ndash;1970)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Researcher|R 103}}, renamed NOAAS ''Malcolm Baldrige'' (R 103) in 1988 (in service 1970&ndash;1996; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1970)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Rude|S 590}} (in service 1970&ndash;2008; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1967&ndash;1970)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Surveyor|S 132}} (in service 1970&ndash;1995 or 1996; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1960&ndash;1970)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Townsend Cromwell|R 443}} (in service 1975&ndash;2002; previously with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service{{'}}s Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 1964&ndash;1975)
* {{ship|NOAAS|Whiting|S 329}} (in service 1970&ndash;2003; previously with U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 1963&ndash;1970)

===Maritime flags and pennants===
[[Image:NOAA Flag.svg|thumb|200px|right|The [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration#Flag|NOAA flag]], flown by [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] NOAA ships as a [[distinctive mark]].]]
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = vertical
| image1 = NOAA commission pennant Class I vessels.PNG
| width1 = 300
| alt1 = 
| caption1 = 
| image2 = NOAA commission pennant Class II, III, and IV vessels.PNG
| width2 = 300
| alt2 = 
| caption2 = 
| footer = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] [[Commissioning pennant|commission pennants]] for Class I vessels (top) and for Class II, III, and IV vessels (above).}}
NOAA ships fly the [[flag of the United States]] as their [[Ensign (flag)|ensign]]. To distinguish them from ships of other [[United States Government]] agencies and services that also fly the U.S. flag as their ensign, NOAA ships also fly the NOAA flag as a [[distinctive mark]].<ref name=noaaofficialflags>[https://www.noaa.gov/organization/administration/nao-201-6-official-flags-of-noaa#:~:text=Commission%20Pennant%2D%20A%20long%20tapering,a%20personal%20flag%20or%20pennant. NAO 201-6 A: Official Flags of NOAA March 15, 2015]</ref> This practice carries on the tradition of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, whose ships flew the Coast and Geodetic Survey flag as a distinctive mark from 1899 until 1970, when the Coast and Geodetic Survey was abolished and its ships were incorporated into the NOAA fleet. The Coast and Geodetic Survey flag included a red triangle to represent the discipline of [[triangulation]] used in [[hydrographic survey]]s, and the flag of NOAA, in use since 1970, includes a similar red triangle.<ref name=seaflags>[https://www.seaflags.us/noaa/noaa.html Sea Flags: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Accessed 26 October 2022]</ref>

NOAA ships also fly a "[[Commissioning pennant|commission pennant]]" in a similar manner to U.S. Navy and [[United States Coast Guard]] ships.<ref name=noaaofficialflags/> The NOAA fleet has three commission pennants, one for its largest ships (which it deems "Class I" vessels), and two for smaller ships NOAA defines as "Class II," "Class III," or "Class IV" vessels.<ref name=seaflags/> The pennant for Class&nbsp;I vessels is {{convert|15|ft}} long and has 13 red triangles on a white background at the hoist, with the remainder of the pennant blue, while the pennants for Class II, III, and IV vessels are {{convert|9|and|4|ft}} long and have seven red triangles but otherwise are identical in design to the Class I pennant.<ref name=seaflags/><ref>[https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/document/2020/Mar/NAO_201-6A_Attachment_1_Authorized_Flags.pdf NAO 201-6A Attachment 1: Authorized Flags of the Department of Commerce, NOAA, and the NOAA Commissioned Corps March 15, 2015]</ref> The pennants also carry forward a tradition of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey fleet, which flew commission pennants identical to those of the NOAA fleet.<ref name=seaflags/>

==References==

*''This article incorporates material taken from the [[public domain]] website of the [http://www.omao.noaa.gov/]''.
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.noaa.gov NOAA]
*[https://www.omao.noaa.gov/ NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071006095808/http://www.moc.noaa.gov/ NOAA Marine Operations]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070210233822/http://www.aoc.noaa.gov/ NOAA Aircraft Operations]
*[http://www.noaacorps.noaa.gov NOAA Corps]

{{US military navbox}}

[[Category:National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
[[Category:United States civil utility aircraft]]
[[Category:Ships of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration| ]]
[[Category:United States special-purpose aircraft]]