NOAA Ship Fairweather

06/05/2026

A recent joint operation between NOAA Ship Fairweather and U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Cypress identified a navigation channel in Bechevin Bay, Alaska. This channel is a critical connection between the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska, and is available just in time for the June 1st opening of the Brist...

06/05/2026

A recent joint operation between NOAA Ship Fairweather and U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Cypress identified a navigation channel in Bechevin Bay, Alaska.

Fairweather’s specialized survey capabilities and operational expertise, combined with Cypress’ local knowledge of the waterway enabled the interagency team to quickly and efficiently map the channel and determine best placement of new channel markers.

Check out the full article above!

Photographers: Physical Scientist, Amanda Finn & Hydrographic Senior Survey Technician, Colin Schmidt.

04/10/2026

Ready, Set, Throw! 🪢

Fairweather relies a lot on her crew’s marlinspike skills, as the ship regularly deploys and recovers her Hydrographic Survey Launches for survey.

04/08/2026

04/08/2026

Operational Readiness Training (ORT) ⛑️

Every year before NOAA Ship Fairweather undocks for the field season, the crew spends an intensive week reviewing its standard procedures: Fire & Damage Control, Shoring & Dewatering, Steering & Propulsion Casualties, and several more drills that ensure the crew is ready for anything on the water. The picture shows our Fast Rescue Boat team and mannequin for a Mariner Overboard rescue drill.

04/07/2026

Shipshape it is and ready for surveying! ⚓️

After a winter well spent in our home port of Ketchikan, Alaska, Fairweather has started her 2026 underway season. If you’re a local resident of Ketchikan and see us transiting through Tongass Narrows, snap a picture and send it to us!

03/02/2026

Last summer, NOAA Ship Fairweather went farther north than ever before.

Fairweather’s survey of over 5,500 linear nautical miles in 2025 will provide valuable environmental information for the U.S. Coast Guard’s Port Access Route Study, a multi-year effort to establish new maritime traffic routes, safety zones, and use areas in the U.S. Arctic waters.

Establishing areas of safe passage through the Arctic ensures that ships remain within surveyed waters to avoid running aground, and larger ships avoid scraping along the coast, potentially disturbing whaling areas and coastal communities.

During the survey, Fairweather’s crew experienced Arctic wonders from the surface of the water to the seafloor. In the Chukchi Sea, hydrographers noticed ice scours in the seabed generated by years of friction between floating sea ice and the sediments below. Crewmembers also climbed to the flying bridge to observe flickering, green northern lights dazzling the night sky. Wildlife sightings were frequent, and featured walruses, sea lions, gray whales, fin whales, bowhead whales, and even a swimming polar bear.

Read our blog to learn more about what it’s like to work at the top of the world: https://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/updates/charting-the-arctic-noaa-ship-fairweather-2025-alaska/

02/04/2026

Today, Fairweather conducted an in-port fire drill with the Ketchikan Fire Department. Over the past year, our Damage Control Officers, ENS Edmundson and ENS Travis Miller, have worked to coordinate emergency response efforts in the event of a real onboard emergency. During today’s drill, teams tested fire hose connections, hose lengths for accessing ship spaces, movement through passageways, and personnel search procedures. Thank you to the Ketchikan Fire Department for your continued support and partnership.

01/30/2026

We have wrapped up the NOAA Office of Coast Survey Field Procedures Workshop 2026. NOAA Ship Fairweather was excited to have hosted 54 professionals in our homeport of Ketchikan, Alaska and be able to play a role in the planning and ex*****on of the event alongside NOAA’s Hydrographic Surveys Division. A collection of industry hydrographers, NOAA field units, and NOAA Coast Survey personnel came to discuss advancements in the field and exchange ways to enhance survey productivity and quality.

Topics included remote data workflows, innovations and experiences using uncrewed systems, arctic surveying, airborne bathy lidar integration, and updates to the NOAA Hydrographic Specifications and Deliverables. The workshop provided an excellent opportunity to engage between government and industry for seasoned hydrographers to new surveyors. Thank you to the city of Ketchikan, Alaska and all who attended.

01/30/2026

We have wrapped up the NOAA Office of Coast Survey Field Procedures Workshop 2026. NOAA Ship Fairweather was excited to have hosted 54 professionals in our homeport of Ketchikan, Alaska and be able to play a role in the planning and ex*****on of the event alongside NOAA’s Hydrographic Surveys Division. A collection of industry hydrographers, NOAA field units, and NOAA Office of Coast Survey divisions came to discuss advancements in the field and exchange ways to enhance survey productivity and quality. Topics included remote data workflows, innovations and experiences using uncrewed systems, arctic surveying, airborne bathy lidar integration, and updates to the NOAA Hydrographic Specifications and Deliverables. The workshop provided an excellent opportunity to engage between government and industry for seasoned hydrographers to new surveyors. Thank you to the city of Ketchikan, Alaska and Cape Fox hotel for hosting us.