Henry B. Bigelow Commissioning

HENRY B. BIGELOW Officially Joins the NOAA Fleet!

Pride ruled the day when HENRY B. BIGELOW was commissioned into the fleet on July 16 during a ceremony at the Marine Operations Center-Atlantic in Norfolk, VA. The ship, decked out with brightly colored dress flags, was a gleaming backdrop as the order from retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher, Jr, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, went down through the chain of command to place the ship in commission. The event, emceed by LCDR Scott Sirois, Executive Officer, included the raising of the flags, setting of the first watch, and acceptance of command by CDR Stephen Beckwith, who read his orders aloud to OMAO Director RADM Sam De Bow. The ceremony was sharp and crisp—an outstanding example of maritime tradition.

CDR Beckwith accepts command from RADM DeBow

After remarks by Frederick Bigelow, Jr., grandson of the ship’s namesake; John Oliver, Deputy Assistant Administrator of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service; RADM De Bow; and VADM Lautenbacher, gifts were presented to the speakers and framed plankowner certificates were presented to the officers and crew. (A plankowner is a member of the first crew. The term originates from the early days of sailing ships when sailors slept on deck and claimed a plank to sleep upon.) As CDR Beckwith presented the first certificate to LCDR Sirois, the crew burst out in spontaneous applause, a tribute of respect to the Executive Officer who served with the ship throughout the delivery process to the commissioning. Before an exuberant CDR Beckwith began handing out certificates to his crew, he was overheard exclaiming “I love these guys!”

HENRY B. BIGELOW is the second of four fisheries survey ships of the same class, and like her sister ship, OSCAR DYSON, is changing the way fisheries research is done. The U.S. Navy recently completed a battery of underwater acoustic tests that found the ship’s acoustics exceed international standards set by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea to optimize fisheries research worldwide. One of the most important features of this new class of vessels, the low noise signature will allow fisheries scientists to study fish without significantly altering their behavior. (RADM De Bow said the ship was so quiet when he was aboard at sea that he had to look outside to see if it was moving.) The ship’s hydroacoustic sonar system will enable scientists to “see” fish on a computer screen, making assessments more efficient and accurate. Even the nets are high-tech-- lowered and raised via computer. The fish handling system is complex and features the leading-edge Fisheries Scientific Computer System (FSCS) developed by OMAO software engineers in partnership with NMFS scientists. The only automated fisheries data recording system of its kind, FSCS has set a new standard for efficiency and accuracy and has been adopted by many other institutions.

According to CDR Beckwith, who envisions the ship and its skilled crew as leading forces in technology and supportive partnerships, “It’s the start of a new era. The new dog on the block in the Northeast is HENRY B. BIGELOW, and we are going to be working alongside ALBATROSS IV, and ultimately work on our own. It’s an exciting time and we have a new platform with numerous capabilities. We look forward to working with and learning about them alongside the scientists from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center.”

The ship’s critical role in continuing the work of ALBATROSS IV was emphasized by John Oliver, who said that “This is the second ship, but the significance is that we are assured of a continuing time series by replacing one of the older vessels with a state-of-the-art vessel so we can continue the spring and fall groundfish surveys.”

Mike Murray describes fish handling system

The crew of HENRY B. BIGELOW exudes pride and a feeling of ownership in its new vessel. According to Fisheries Survey Technician Mike Murray, for example, Jon Jarrell and Adrian Martin-Fisher, both fishermen, designed and built all storage on the ship—typically something a naval architect would do. Because it didn’t involve the ship’s hull, they were given a free hand to put their knowledge to use—somewhat like a cook designing his or her own kitchen. “Because everyone has ownership of the process, it is truly one crew,” Murray said. “It’s like a good business; you focus on the customer’s needs. Our customers are mainly scientists with the Northeast Fisheries Science Center. In my department, I can talk to the scientists months ahead of time about the electronic equipment they need and how it will be deployed, and with the deck guys and engineers, so by the time the scientists get on board, we are set up and ready to go. There’s no lag time. We have to get all we can out of days at sea and that comes directly from the command structure, from the Captain to the XO. The models that work for business also work for science.”

The dedication and commitment of the crew have not been lost on RADM De Bow, who sailed with the ship from Newport, RI, to Norfolk last week. “This was one of the best at sea experiences I’ve had in my 30 years at NOAA,” he said. “The crew is unbelievable! They are enthusiastic and dedicated, and as the chief engineer said, ‘there’s not a lemon in the bunch.’”

RADM De Bow also praised CDR Beckwith and LCDR Sirois for doing an outstanding job. “They treat that ship as if it’s theirs, and it shows.”

If you would like to hear the difference between HENRY B. BIGELOW and DELAWARE II at sea, click on the audio link found at http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/s2886.htm.

More information about the ship and the event can be found in the NOAA news story.

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