Posted:
November 29, 2011
The USNS Henson in November completed a month-long bilateral survey mission with the Indonesian Navy surveying territorial waters off the coast of Indonesia.
The mission was one of the largest in three decades of hydrographic surveys between the United States and Indonesia. Thirteen U.S. oceanographers and hydrographers from the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) and five Indonesian surveyors joined the 23 merchant mariners aboard the USNS Henson for surveying work between Oct. 14 and Nov. 14.
AMO member Capt. Joe Goodwin, master of the USNS Henson, said the survey was a "great opportunity to exchange ideas, discuss procedures and gain a better understanding of oceanography and hydrography."
The USNS Henson collected hydrographic and oceanographic data for nautical charting in Indonesian territorial waters by using sophisticated sonar technology to create three-dimensional maps of the sea floor. Sensors were also used to measure water temperature, salinity and currents in the ocean.
The survey uncovered several errors in existing charts, identifying features as far as a half-mile from where they were believed to be.
"The data collected will be used by both navies to address shared navigation concerns," said U.S. Navy Capt. Greg Ulses, deputy hydrographer for the Navy. "Our partnership with the Indonesian Navy is very important to us, and we're hopeful that this survey will allow us to strengthen and deepen it."
The USNS Henson is owned by MSC and operated for the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command by 3PSC LLC. The USNS Henson is one of six T-AGS ships operated for MSC by 3PSC and manned in all licensed positions by American Maritime Officers.
USNS Henson completes Indonesian oceanographic survey
The USNS Henson in November completed a month-long bilateral survey mission with the Indonesian Navy surveying territorial waters off the coast of Indonesia.
The mission was one of the largest in three decades of hydrographic surveys between the United States and Indonesia. Thirteen U.S. oceanographers and hydrographers from the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) and five Indonesian surveyors joined the 23 merchant mariners aboard the USNS Henson for surveying work between Oct. 14 and Nov. 14.
AMO member Capt. Joe Goodwin, master of the USNS Henson, said the survey was a "great opportunity to exchange ideas, discuss procedures and gain a better understanding of oceanography and hydrography."
The USNS Henson collected hydrographic and oceanographic data for nautical charting in Indonesian territorial waters by using sophisticated sonar technology to create three-dimensional maps of the sea floor. Sensors were also used to measure water temperature, salinity and currents in the ocean.
The survey uncovered several errors in existing charts, identifying features as far as a half-mile from where they were believed to be.
"The data collected will be used by both navies to address shared navigation concerns," said U.S. Navy Capt. Greg Ulses, deputy hydrographer for the Navy. "Our partnership with the Indonesian Navy is very important to us, and we're hopeful that this survey will allow us to strengthen and deepen it."
The USNS Henson is owned by MSC and operated for the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command by 3PSC LLC. The USNS Henson is one of six T-AGS ships operated for MSC by 3PSC and manned in all licensed positions by American Maritime Officers.