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(Ships Withdrawn From Service Before NOAA's Formation in 1970)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.
If you have an addition or correction for this page, please send it in.
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 |