Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Beaverson, NOAA Corps, has taken command of the NOAA ship Townsend Cromwell, relieving current commanding officer Lt. Cmdr. John Lamkin.

Townsend Cromwell, a 163-ft. research ship that conducts fishery and living marine resources assessment, is home ported in Honolulu, Hawaii, and operates in the areas surrounding the Hawaiian Islands and throughout the central Pacific Ocean.

Beaverson began his career as a NOAA Corps officer in 1987. He has served in a variety of NOAA programs during sea and land assignments, including tours aboard the NOAA ships Oceanographer and McArthur, with increasing levels of responsibility; and conducting laboratory and shipboard research within the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, research and stock assessment within the National Marine Fisheries Service, and coastal assessment and resource management within the National Ocean Service.

Beaverson, a native of York, Pa., currently resides in Seattle, Wash. He holds a bachelor's degree in geology (1986) from Hamilton College in New York, and expects to receive his master's degree in marine geophysics from the University of Miami in spring 2000.

As part of the NOAA fleet of research ships and aircraft, Townsend Cromwell is operated and managed by the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, composed of civilians and commissioned officers. The NOAA Corps is a uniformed service of the United States, composed of officers – all scientists or engineers – who provide NOAA with an important blend of operational, management, and technical skills that support the agency's programs at sea, in the air, and ashore.