NOAA 2000-R817 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jeanne Kouhestani 10/6/00

NOAA SHIP RUDE SURVEYS APPROACHES TO NEW HAVEN, CONN. SHIP TO HOST PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE ON OCTOBER 19 Area mariners soon will be able to update their nautical charts of the approaches to New Haven, Conn., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said today. The NOAA ship Rude (pronounced Roodee) is currently surveying the approaches to the harbor to identify the location of boulders, wrecks and other hazards to navigation absent from current charts, and has already discovered four uncharted wrecks. Rude will host an open house on Thursday, October 19, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., at the Long Wharf Pier to show the public a preliminary sounding plot and digital terrain map of the surveyed area. At the request of the Northeast Marine Pilots Association, the 90-foot survey vessel is using highly sophisticated sonar systems to chart the approaches to New Haven. Rude's three types of sonar — vertical, side scan, and multi-beam — not only locate and determine least depths, but also identify contacts on the sea floor by producing picture-like images. Rude is also checking charted soundings and features within the survey area to make sure they are depicted correctly on the chart. In a 22-nautical mile area–parts of which have not been surveyed since the late nineteenth century--Rude has discovered the wrecks of two barges, an unidentified vessel exceeding 120 feet, and what is probably a sailboat, but has not been confirmed. NOAA has issued this information to the U.S. Coast Guard to include in its Local Notice to Mariners to ensure the safety of large-draft vessels transiting the area and entering the port. Conducting these hydrographic surveys will enable safe navigation for container ships, cruise ships, and large tankers frequenting the harbor that draw up to 45 feet. Rude's work is vital to the protection of the shorelines from contamination as well as to the economy of various fisheries where pollution from any grounding source would adversely affect the fisheries of nearby communities. As part of the NOAA fleet of research ships and aircraft, Rude 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. Rude is homeported in Norfolk, Va., and commanded by Lt. Cmdr. James Verlaque, NOAA Corps.