NOAA leadership was joined by partners today to celebrate the keel-laying for Navigator, a new charting and mapping vessel being constructed for NOAA. The vessel is being built by Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors, LLC., in Houma, Louisiana.
The keel-laying is a centuries-old maritime tradition that formally recognizes the start of a ship's construction. During today’s ceremony, the initials of the ship’s sponsor, NOAA Corps Rear Adm. Evelyn Fields (ret.), were welded onto a steel plate that will be incorporated into the ship during construction. Read more.