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Naval Oceanography Command
The U.S. Navy, which located here in 1976, is Stennis Space Center’s largest resident agency. This Navy presence includes the headquarters of the Commander, Naval Oceanography Command, and two subordinate components under his command. It is headed by a rear admiral and is the only Navy flag headquarters in the state of Mississippi.
The Commander, Naval Oceanography Command administers a worldwide organization comprised of some 3,000 military, enlisted and civilian personnel whose mission is to give oceanographic, meteorological, mapping, charting and geodetic support services to fleet forces operating throughout the world. These services help to ensure the safety and economy of naval operations in peacetime and the effectiveness of weapons systems employed in time of war.
The Navy’s operating environment extends from the sea floor to the fringes of space. Every ship, submarine and aircraft in the Navy receives support services provided by the Naval Oceanography Command through its network of 65 subordinate activities. Two of these activities, the Naval Oceanographic Office and the Naval Oceanography Command Facility, are located at SSC.
The Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) is the largest single component of the Naval Oceanography Command. Founded more than 158 years ago, NAVOCEANO today is a globe-spanning organization of approximately 1,000 civilian employees and 300 military personnel, with an annual budget of $135 million. NAVOCEANO’s many accomplishments are renowned throughout the international oceanographic community. Its Matthew Fontaine Maury Oceanographic Library houses one of the world’s foremost collections of oceanographic material.
Operating worldwide, with 12 oceanographic ships and three specially-equipped aircraft, NAVOCEANO personnel collect, analyze, publish and distribute the oceanographic information needed to support naval operations and assist maritime commerce and others engaged in ocean-related activities.
The Operational Oceanography Center, established at NAVOCEANO in 1987, provides this information to the fleet on a near-real-time basis around the clock, 365 days a year. One key automation initiative is the establishment of a Supercomputer Center at NAVOCEANO. This center will house a Class VII supercomputer to support naval
oceanography and meteorology modeling and prediction efforts. The center is expected to begin operations during fiscal year 1991.
Oceanography is multi-disciplinary involving acoustics, geology, chemistry, geophysics, engineering and hydrography. Oceanography at NAVOCEANO also involves the study of the seafloor and subbottom; the physical and chemical properties of the water column; the dynamics of the ocean, including waves, tides and currents; the acoustic properties of the ocean environment; and the Earth’s magnetic and gravitational fields.
The Naval Oceanography Command Facility is responsible for management of training, equipment and Reserve readiness for the Naval Oceanography Command. The unit establishes training standards and develops courses in meteorology, oceanography and related fields. The facility has a further Navy-wide responsibility to ensure that oceanographic and meteorological equipment are available when and where needed, and in proper working order. Finally, it provides coordination within the Naval Oceanography Command and the Naval Reserve to provide adequate training of Reserve personnel when and if they are needed to ensure mobilization readiness.
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Every weapons system in the U.S. Navy goes to sea with vital products and support provided by the Naval Oceanography Command.