Pre-NOAA Research and Survey Ships - US Fisheries & Wildlife Service ~ Shipbuilding History

Pre-NOAA Research and Survey Ships - US Fisheries & Wildlife Service

(Ships Withdrawn From Service Before NOAA's Formation in 1970)

Most recent update: September 13, 2015.

NOAA was created in 1970 from the combination of the Coast and Geodetic Survey (formed in 1807 as the Coast Survey), the Weather Bureau (formed in 1870 as a unit of the Army Signal Corps) and the Fish and Wildlife Service (formed in 1871 as the Commission of Fish and Fisheries and later called the Bureau of Fisheries). This table attempts to list all the ships that served the USF&WS but ended their service before 1970. Those vessels that have served since 1970, whether still active or now inactive, are listed here. There are a lot of gaps and uncertainties in this table.

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Name	Builder	Location	Tons	LOA	Built	Acquired	Notes
Fish Hawk	Pusey & Jones	Wilmington DE	441	146	1879	1879	retired 1926
Albatross	Pusey & Jones	Wilmington DE	638	234	1882	1882	sold 1924
Grampus	Palmer & Son, Robert	Noank CT		83	1886	1886	retired c1921
Osprey		San Francisco CA	50	72	1895	1912	ex-Wigwam (ON 81501), sold 1921, Foss 19, Kiowa
Roosevelt	McKay & Dix	Bucksport ME	654	182	1905	1915	sold 1919, wrecked 1937
Auklet	Elliot Bay Y. & E. Co.	Seattle WA	25	48	1917	1917	sold 1950
Murre	Elliot Bay Y. & E. Co.	Seattle WA	25	48	1917	1917	to USN 1942
Swan		Fairbanks AK		36	1917	1917	scrapped 1924
Kittiwake	Kyle & Purdy	City Island NY	46	68	1908	1919	ex-Raeo (ON 204966), USS Raeo (SP-588) 1918, sold 1948, Harbor Queen, Entiat Princess
Petrel	Britt Bros.	Lynn MA	23	51	1917	1919	ex-Cobra (ON ------), USS Cobra (SP-632) 1918, retired 1934
Merganser	NY Y, L & E Co.	Morris Heights NY	16	54	1909	1919	ex-Calypso (ON 206289), USS Calypso (SP-626) 1918, retired 1942
Widgeon	Seabury, Charles L.	Morris Heights NY	57	68	1914	1919	ex-Edithena (ON 212122), USS Edithena, sold 1949, Ila Mae
Tern		Fairbanks AK		38	1920	1920	sold 1929
Scoter		Tacoma WA	41	56	1920	1922	ex-Clatsop (ON 219922), wrecked and sold 1949
Halcyon		East Boothbay ME	197	108	1917	1922
Phalarope		East Boston MA	55	82	1881	1922	ex-Adelita (ON 105989)
Shearwater	Johnston Brothers	Ferrysburg MI	95	85	1909	1922	to USCG 1940, sold 1944, Cindy K
Ibis				30		1923	retired 1946
Blue Wing			22	55	1918	1924	ex-August (ON 216855), sold 1951 as El Don
Sea Gull				31		1924	accidentally burned 1926
Albatross II	Norfolk NSY	Portsmouth VA	521	148	1909	1926	ex-Patuxent (AT-11), returned to USN 1934
Brant	Kruse & Banks	North Bend OR	166	100	1926	1926	sold 1953, burned and sank 1960
Red Wing			10	40		1926	damaged and scrapped 1939
Teal	Kruse & Banks	North Bend OR	91	78	1927	1927	sold 1966, restored 1997
Fulmar		Friendship ME		101	1914	1927
Curlew		Morris Heights NY	28	61	1907	1927
Gannet		Boston MA	16	61	1890	1927
crane	Johnson Bros.	Port Blakely WA	134	85	1928	1928	sold 1960 as Brapo (ON 284723), Fishing 5, Belle, Patricia, crane
Coot	Wrang, George	Bellingham WA	21	47	1929	1929	retired 1947
Eider	Nilsen & Kelez	Seattle WA	76	88	1913	1930	ex-Idaho (ON 210842), sold 1949, sank 1955
Penguin	Ballard Marine RW	Seattle WA	394	130	1930	1930	sold 1951 as Penguin, Carib Queen
Pelican	Boat Harbor MR	Newport News VA	94	73	1930	1930	sold 1972, (ON 537911)
Blue Wing		Pascagoula MS	22	50	1918	1932	ex-August
Sandpiper	Matthews boat	Port Clinton OH		46	1928	1932	to USN 1942 as YP-194, destroyed 1948
Brown Bear	Winslow Marine	Winslow WA	300	115	1934	1934	to USN 1941 as YP-197, returned 1946, sold 19?? as Baja Explorer (ON 980667)
Black Mallard		Pascagoula MS	18	56	1931	1935	ex-Talvez, to Louisiana 1949
Heron		Tacoma WA		36	1919	1935
Phalarope II		Newport RI	3	41	1932	1935
Albatross III	Bath Iron Works	Bath ME	525d	103	1926	1939	ex-Harvard, to USCG 1942, returned 1944, sold 1959
Heron II	Sunde & Olsen	Seattle WA		58	1940	1940	sold 1969 as Heron (ON 526163)
Black Douglas	Bath Iron Works	Bath ME	360	140	1930	1941	to USN 1942, returned 1944, sold 1966
Swan II				66		1942	disposed-of 1945
Grizzly Bear	Schertzer B&MW	Seattle WA	45	58	1934	1942	from Alaska 1942, returned 1964, sold 1976 (ON 583647)
Black Bear				33	1934	1944	to Alaska 1960
Dennis Winn	Northwestern SB	Bellingham WA	540	148	1944	1948	ex-LT Walter J. Will (FS-244), to Alaska 1960
Washington	Astoria Marine	Astoria OR	158	100	1946	1948	sold to Korea 1949
Alaska	United Concrete	Long Beach CA		100	1947	1949	ex-Alaska (ON 252331), sold late-1990s
King				42	1946	1949	to Alaska 1960
Sockeye				40	1946	1949	acquired 1949, disposed-of late 1960s
Penguin II	Northwestern SB	Bellingham WA	540	148	1944	1950	ex-LT Raymond Zussman (FS-246), sold 1964, Aurora (Colombia)
John R. Manning	Pacific BB	Tacoma WA	550	86	1950	1950	sold 1969 as R. B. Hendrickson (ON 524645)
Kittiwake II	Stephens Bros.	Stockton CA	90	73	1944	1950	ex-Jessie R. Nelson (ST 415), to Alaska 1960
Sablefish	Grandy boat	Seattle WA	38	38	1949	1951	sold 1971
Auklet II	Blanchard boat	Seattle WA	38	57	1951	1951	to Alaska 1960
Ibis II	Chambers & Franck	Seattle WA		24	1951	1951	to Alaska 1960
Skipjack				43	1943	1956	to Alaska 1960
Capelin				40	1939	1957	to Alaska 1960
Albacore				40	1938	1957	to Alaska 1960
Mackinaw				52	1927	1957	sank 1960
Shad	Duwamish SY	Seattle WA		44	1958	1958	to Alaska 1960