By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brannon Deugan,
Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs
BUSAN, Republic of Korea (NNS) -- Military Sealift Command
oceanographic survey ship USNS Henson (T-AGS 63) collects and analyzes
oceanographic data that is used to support U.S. Navy warfighters.
Henson is a multipurpose oceanographic survey ship that
conducts hydrographic, acoustic, oceanographic and bathymetric survey
operations worldwide and is currently operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet.
"Henson is a multifunction ship," said Steven
Faber, Mine Warfare Fleet Support lead. "We provide data that assists in
the decision making for everything from mine warfare to anti-submarine
warfare."
Data collected by Henson will be analyzed and utilized in
numerous different products specifically requested by U.S. 7th Fleet to meet
mission requirements.
"Henson paints a picture of the environment on the
floor of the ocean," said Brian Hartley, Henson's data manager. "This
is important because it gives warfighters the ability to make decisions based
off timeline data the oceanographic survey ships like Henson have collected
over the years."
Henson was designed to provide multiple capabilities
including physical, chemical and biological oceanography; multidiscipline
environmental investigations; ocean engineering and marine acoustics; marine
geology and geophysics; and bathymetric surveying. These capabilities provide
an in-depth understanding of ocean conditions, which then helps prioritize
search efforts in areas such as mine warfare.
"With the capabilities available to us in our
equipment, we can understand how the environment and terrain affects the use of
mine warfare in the future," explained Hartley. "If we know an area
is silt and the laying of a mine there would cause the mine to simply sink into
the bottom, searching there would be more problematic, say, than for an area with
sandy terrain and several hazards. That would be an area to really do an
extensive search for mines in the future."
Henson serves as a platform for surveyors with the Naval
Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO). NAVOCEANO has technical control of Henson and
four other survey ships and uses a variety of platforms, including ships,
aircraft, satellite sensors and buoys to collect oceanographic and hydrographic
data from the world's oceans. Henson is operated by the Military Sealift
Command for the Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (CNMOC).
NAVOCEANO, the largest subordinate command within the CNMOC,
is responsible for providing oceanographic products and services to all
elements of the Department of Defense.
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