USNS Maury on 2 November 2017
History
United States
Name
  • Maury (2016–2023)
  • Marie Tharp (from 2023)
Namesake
OwnerUnited States Navy
OperatorMilitary Sealift Command
Awarded22 December 2009[1]
BuilderVT Halter Marine[1]
Laid down1 February 2011[1]
Launched27 March 2013 [2]
In serviceFebruary 2016
Identification
StatusIn Service
General characteristics
Class and typePathfinder-class survey ship
Displacement5,000 tons full 3,019 light[1]
Length353 ft (108 m)[1]
Beam58 ft (18 m)[1]
Draft19 ft (5.8 m)[1]

USNS Marie Tharp (T-AGS-66)[1] is a Pathfinder-class oceanographic survey ship operated by the Military Sealift Command of the United States Navy. The seventh ship in her class, Marie Tharp is named for oceanographer Marie Tharp; the ship was renamed in 2023 from Maury.

The-then Maury's keel was laid on 1 February 2011 in a ceremony at the VT Halter Marine shipyard in Moss Point, Mississippi.[3] The hull was launched on 27 March 2013 and the ship was delivered on 16 February 2016.[4] Maury completed her maiden voyage in June 2016.[5]

Details

Marie Tharp was the first oceanographic survey ship built since USNS Mary Sears was launched in 2000. At approximately 350 feet (110 m), Marie Tharp is 24 feet (7.3 m) longer than her other sister ships in the same class. This modification is to accommodate a 300-square-foot (28 m2) moon pool for unmanned vehicle deployment and retrieval.[3]

Name change

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 created a new Naming Commission to examine names across the US armed forces that honor the Confederate States of America, the group of states that attempted to break away from the US during the American Civil War.[6][7]

In September 2022, the Naming Commission recommended the renaming of Maury and cruiser USS Chancellorsville, with the new names to be decided by the Secretary of the Navy.[8] Maury was named after military officer and diplomatic envoy Matthew Fontaine Maury, the "Father of Modern Oceanography" who resigned from a 36-year career in the US Navy to accept a command in the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War.[9][10][11]

On 8 March 2023, International Women's Day, the US Navy Secretary, Carlos Del Toro, announced the ship would be renamed in honor of oceanographer Marie Tharp, best known for helping produce the first scientific map of the Atlantic Ocean floor.[12][13][14] The renaming was formally completed in the Naval Vessel Register on 13 March 2023.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "USNS Maury (T-AGS 66)". Naval Vessel Register. United States Navy. 20 February 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  2. ↑ "VT Halter Marine launches T-AGS 66". MarineLog. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  3. 1 2 Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (4 February 2011). "Keel Laid for New Navy Oceanographic Survey Ship". Navy News Service. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
  4. ↑ "USNS Maury (T-AGS 66) Delivered". US Navy. 17 February 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  5. ↑ "Navy's Newest Oceanographic Vessel Sets Sail". US Navy. 9 June 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  6. ↑ Schmall, Emily (2023-03-11). "Stripping Confederate Ties, the U.S. Navy Renames Two Vessels". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  7. ↑ "UPDATED: Commission Recommends Renaming Two Navy Ships with Confederate Ties". USNI News. 2022-09-13. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  8. ↑ "UPDATED: Commission Recommends Renaming Two Navy Ships with Confederate Ties". USNI News. 13 September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  9. ↑ Affairs, This story was written by Team Ships Public. "USNS Maury (T-AGS 66) Delivered". www.navy.mil. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  10. ↑ "Matthew Fontaine Maury Biography". xroads.virginia.edu. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  11. ↑ Myers, Meghann (2021-09-07). "Here's your chance to help rename Army posts and Navy ships honoring the Confederacy". Military Times. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  12. ↑ SECNAV Renames Pathfinder-class Oceanographic Survey Ship USNS Maury after Marie Tharp, Media Release, Secretary of the Navy, 2023-03-08
  13. ↑ Navy Renames Survey Ship After Pioneering Female Ocean Researcher, Stripping Vessel of Confederate Ties, Konstantin Toropin, Military.com, 2023-03-08
  14. ↑ O'Connell, Suzanne (August 8, 2020). "Marie Tharp's maps revolutionized our knowledge of the seafloor". The Washington Post.
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