Contact Information
Address:
151 Watts Avenue
Pascagoula, MS 39567-4102
United StatesPhone:
228-769-7905
NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter
NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter is a multipurpose oceanographic research vessel whose primary mission is to study marine mammals and other living marine resources.
When surveying for marine mammals, visual observers scan the ocean with 25Ã150 âbigeyeâ binoculars, each mounted on a solid platform with a fluidly rotating head. The optical equipment includes a reticle scale to enable distance measurement along a three-mile-wide vista. The ship tows a hydrophone array to hear and record marine mammal sounds, 24 hours a day.
Gordon Gunter was commissioned in the NOAA fleet in 1998 after being transferred to NOAA from the U.S. Navy (where it served as the U.S. Naval Ship Relentless) and converted for research purposes. In addition to adding modern navigation electronics and oceanographic equipment, NOAA installed observation stations and laboratories.