Back ||NOAA Home VADM Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., USN (Ret.) Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere Remarks at CAPABLE Transfer Ceremony Seattle, Wash., September 13, 2004 Good morning everyone! Thank you for coming to this ceremony today to recognize the transfer of the USNS CAPABLE from the Navy to NOAA. I'd like to offer a special welcome to our guest from Washington, Chairman Jim Connaughton of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and Director of the White House Office of Environmental Policy, RADM Sam De Bow, Director of the NOAA Corps and NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations, and CAPT Juan Chavez, Commander, Military Sealift Command Pacific. Thanks to all of our maritime constituents, partners and other distinguished guests for your support and for coming out to this event. Many thanks must go the Navy and MSC. For those of you who may not be aware, our great friends from the Military Sea Lift Command and the Navy not only gave us this ship, but delivered it to our front door step from Hawaii. What service! Their efforts ensure that this ship will continue to serve America for many years to come. This ship will revitalize and further reduce the age of the NOAA fleet as it marks the 7th T-AGOS class ship we have received from the Navy's Military Sea Lift Command. CAPABLE was previously used by the Navy as an air defense ship to support air surveillance operations protecting our Nation from threats above. As a NOAA vessel, it will turn its eyes downward to help study, protect and understand the ocean - a mission as vital to the economic and environmental security of the country as its previous mission was defense security. Today's transfer of CAPABLE to NOAA marks two important milestones for NOAA. I am proud to note that this is the first time this Nation will dedicate a ship exclusively to NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration. This dedication could not be more timely, as last month, a special double issue of the U.S. News and World Report proclaimed "how new discoveries under the seas are shaping our future." This is no understatement, for there is a rapidly growing recognition within our society, not least among scientists, that our precious marine environments will expand mankind's knowledge about itself. As the lead federal agency for oceanic and atmospheric affairs, NOAA is the lynchpin to this exploration effort. As an observation platform used specifically for ocean exploration, this ship will contribute to the interagency effort for global earth observing by providing critical data necessary to provide NOAA scientists with a better understanding of the treasured earth resources available in our oceans. The transfer of this ship also represents a great value to the U.S. taxpayer and when converted, it will provide significant and long-term benefits to ocean exploration and research. The economic security of our Nation depends on a deep understanding of our oceans. This is incredibly important to the transportation and commerce of our Nation and not just because some 95 percent of U.S. trade by volume comes and goes by ship. The U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extends 200 nautical miles offshore, encompassing diverse ecosystems and vast natural resources, such as fisheries, energy, and other mineral resources. The U.S. EEZ is the largest in the world, spanning over 13,000 miles of coastline and containing 3.4 million square nautical miles, which is larger than the combined land area of the fifty states. The commercial fishing industry's total value exceeds $28 billion annually. About 30% of the nation's oil supplies and 25% of its natural gas supplies are produced offshore. In 2000, the oceans contributed more than $117 billion to American prosperity and supported over 2 million jobs. In addition to significantly contributing to the Nation's economy, the ship will also provide a great educational incentive for our nation's schools. The second milestone for this ship at NOAA is that it will be the subject of our first-ever national ship-naming contest. This contest gives us a valuable opportunity to educate children across the Nation on NOAA's mission and the discoveries made by this vessel. Who knows - maybe the next Bob Ballard or Jacques Cousteau is sitting in a classroom today and will be inspired by participating in this learning experience. Earlier this year we held a regional ship-naming contest in New England. I was able to meet with the students who selected a name for NOAA's new fisheries research vessel, the HENRY B. BIGELOW, and was amazed by the depth and breadth of their project and by the projects of all the participants. NOAA's new contest will be open to students in grades 6 through 12. Student teams of 4 to 8 students will propose names that capture the spirit of ocean exploration. Each suggested name will be accompanied by a classroom project or activity that can be accomplished by other students in other schools. The results of the NOAA contest are designed to provide an appropriate ship name while multiplying the good work and creativity from student entrants in classrooms across the country. Our new contest will begin on October 15 with a mailing to classrooms of 30,000 science teachers throughout the nation. I hope that you will help NOAA spread the word of this exciting contest. In a sense we now come full circle. In 1998, the Year of the Ocean, the Navy had the creativity to initiate what was at that time the first ever name the ship contest. We are proud to carry on the tradition of this educational program and excited about carrying on the valuable legacy of this amazing ship as it enters the next phase of service to our country. Thank you very much.