NOAA Ship FAIRWEATHER Reactivation Ceremony

Back ||NOAA Home

VADM Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., USN (Ret.)
Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere
Remarks for NOAA Ship FAIRWEATHER Reactivation Ceremony
Ketchikan, Alaska
August 18, 2004

Good morning! I'd like to welcome all of our distinguished guests and visitors here today gathered from all over the counter for this special occasion. RADM James Olson, United States Coast Guard, Commander, 17th Coast Guard District, and his staff. CDR Tony Palazzetti, Executive Officer, USCG Integrated Support Command Ketchikan, who has graciously allowed NOAA to hold this reactivation ceremony here today and CWO4 Chuck Jones for his assistance with logistics. And, Mr. John Rayfield from the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Mr. T.A. Hawks and Mr. Clayton Heil from Senator Cochran's staff. RADM Sam De Bow, Director, NOAA Corps and NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations, and CAPT Roger Parsons, Director, NOAA's Office of Coast Survey. Our maritime industry constituents and partners, and other distinguished visitors and the Mayor of the City of Ketchikan—the Honorable Bob Weinstein. And the Honorable Michael Salazar, Mayor of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, who knows a thing or two about the importance of coastal mapping and surveying—from spending a summer in his younger days as a seaman with the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in the Bering Sea. I want to convey my sincere thanks to the many people who made this reactivation a reality and made it possible to return this ship to service to the Nation. In the Senate, our thanks go to Senator Stevens and his staff and Mr. Scott Gudes of the Commerce, Justice, State, and Judiciary Committee. In the House, many thanks to John Rayfield for all of his support! Cascade General's President Mr. Frank Foti and his team who turned a 37-year old ship into an advanced, state of the art, hydrographic platform. And my thanks to RADM John Albright, former director of the Marine and Aviation Operations Centers, who had the foresight to hold on to FAIRWEATHER and place her in Lake Union's fresh water, contributing to the ship's excellent hull condition. I also want to thank the officers and crew of this ship and all the men and women who modified and installed the equipment necessary to get this ship back into excellent condition so it could continue serving our country, so thank you!

NOAA's strategic plan has four themes and one is commerce and safe transportation. This means we have to have detailed charts and now we have moved from having one ship to two ships here in Alaska to increase this capacity. Our mission is faced with a new urgency, because of intensifying national needs related to the economy, the environment, and public safety. NOAA' fleet is a critical component of our data gathering efforts, and that' why I' excited to be here today! Placing FAIRWEATHER back into operation with state of the art technology is important to the Nation's economic and homeland security. FAIRWEATHER offers much-improved habitability and mission capabilities with advanced mechanical and scientific systems. But it's not only ships and technology that are needed to conduct NOAA's missions. We need intelligent and dedicated people to operate these ships, and we have to educate the next generations of hydrographers, oceanographers, and meteorologists.

Some of you may be aware the ship is named after Mount Fairweather in Alaska. Mount Fairweather is part of the Fairweather Range known as one of the highest groups of coastal mountain peaks in the world. The range was crucial to the navigator and hydrographer during transits through the narrow and treacherous passage to and from the Pacific Ocean. NOAA Ship FAIRWEATHER will continue this legacy of helping safely guide mariners, one of the highest priorities in the world.

This ship is operated by NOAA's Marine and Aviation Operations, and will directly support NOAA's vital mission goals. FAIRWEATHER's will survey our waterways to ensure tankers and cruise ships alike have the latest hydrographic data to transit these waters safely without incident. Last year marine transportation contributed more than $742B to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. Nine million barrels of oil were imported daily and a lot of that oil comes form Alaska and has to be transported safely. Last month, the Anchorage Daily News published an article indicating the VALDEZ tanker fleet had its first spill-free year since 1977. That requires good charts and I'm proud of our contribution. How much is this worth? Prevention of another major oil spill is valued at $3B. For $18 million, we've taken a big junk of the risk by avoiding another accident. Cruise ships in Alaska alone received more than 800,000 visits from passengers and crews who spent over $260 million during ports-of-call. This is an incredibly important industry and we need to make sure cruise ships have updated information.

For centuries, Mount Fairweather has stood a stoic guide to help mariners safely navigate the Alaskan waters. NOAA ship FAIRWEATHER builds upon this legacy and adds 21st century technology to benefit not only mariners, but also the people of Alaska and the state's economy.

FAIRWEATHER and all those who sail in her are a treasure for Alaska and the United States and today I am proud to return her to service.

I wish the officers and crew of NOAA Ship FAIRWEATHER fair winds and following seas in carrying out the important work for NOAA and this Nation! Thank you.