The U.S. Navy christened USNS Robert Ballard (T-AGS 67) February 28th during a ceremony at Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
The ship honors Robert Ballard, a retired U.S. Navy commander, professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, and National Geographic Explorer at Large.
Equipped with two multipurpose cranes, five winches, multibeam echo-sounders, towed sonars, expendable sensors, and advanced oceanographic systems, this ship will play a critical role in mapping and understanding the world’s oceans.