Naval oceanographers answer the questions that military people working in this environment need to know. Just as you check your local weather before you leave your house, every Navy ship, aircraft, and submarine checks with a naval meteorologist or oceanographer before they go out to do their jobs. This information helps them decide when to go, where to go and what to do. These two ships collect information along coastlines which is used for Navy special operations and Marine amphibious units who operate near shore. The information is also used to update and create nautical charts which aid in safe navigation for mariners of all nations.
Surveys can take several weeks depending on the type of survey and the scope of the job.
The ships spend an average of 25 days at sea and five days in port each month. The Navy works in all of the world's oceans. Highest priority areas are those that have not been surveyed recently and where new information is needed. Believe it or not, over 75 percent of the world's oceans have never been surveyed, or have not been surveyed recently. An area may be resurveyed for several reasons.