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NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson is one of a fleet of research and survey vessels used by NOAA to improve our understanding of the marine environment. The ship is home ported in Norfolk, Virginia, and primarily operates along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Thomas Jefferson’s primary mission is to conduct hydrographic surveys for updating NOAA’s nautical charts. Hydrographic surveys used for nautical charting include thousands of systematic depth measurements, as well as positions of wrecks or obstructions in navigable waters. These data are acquired by Thomas Jefferson and its two survey launches equipped with specialized echo sounders, multibeam sonars, and side-scan sonars. Data acquisition and processing relies heavily on state-of-the-art computers, specialized software, and highly skilled ship personnel.
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North America
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