WHOI Vessel to Participate In Fleet Week New York

COURTESY OF THE WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION: R/V Neil Armstrong

WOODS HOLE – The newest research vessel operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will participate in Fleet Week New York.

The Neil Armstrong, which is owned by the U.S. Navy, is the first oceanographic research vessel to be included in the celebration in recent memory.

It will participate in the Navy’s Parade of Ships along the Hudson River on May 24.

The vessel will remain berthed at Pier 86 by the Intrepid Sea Air and Space Museum on May 25 and 26. Public tours of the ship will be available May 25 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and May 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“We’re excited to showcase the important role that ocean research plays in our nation’s security,” said Mark Abbott, the president and director of WHOI. “Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has a long and productive history of making discoveries and developing technologies that have helped the Navy and the world understand how the ocean works. We’re grateful that WHOI and the Neil Armstrong will be included in Fleet Week.”

The 238-foot ship, which arrived in Woods Hole in 2015, can accommodate 24 scientists and a crew of 20 up to 40 days at sea.

The Neil Armstrong provides scientists access to the sea to take measurements, deploy underwater vehicles and maintain ocean observing stations with the goal of advancing our understanding of regions of the ocean both near and remote.