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Chauvenet -class hydrographic survey ship
USNS Chauvenet is a chauvenet -class hydrographic survey ship. It was built by Upper Clyde Shipbuilding Corp. , Glasgow, Scotland.
Chauvenet (1967 – 1996) Texas Clipper (II) (1996 – 2006) Pacific Collector (2006 – present)
19 August 1966 (contract award)
Upper Clyde Shipbuilding Corp. , Glasgow, Scotland
24 May 1967
13 May 1968
Delivered: 13 November 1970
IMO number : 7738474 MMSI number : 367130000 Callsign : KVWA
Converted to DOD Missile Defense Agency's Missile Instrumentation Ship MV Pacific Collector
In Active Service
Chauvenet -class hydrographic survey ship
2,890 GRT , 1,030 DWT , 4,330 NRT
3,425 tons light 4,830 tons full load
392 ft 2.25 in (119.5388 m) overall 357 ft (109 m) LBP
54 ft (16 m) molded 56 ft (17 m) over bridge wings
16.7 ft (5.1 m) light 17.75 ft (5.41 m) full load 1 ft 2 in (0.36 m) sonar dome projection below keel
31 ft (9.45 m) to main deck 40 ft 1.625 in (12.23 m) molded to 01 level
2 Alco diesels, 1,500dw electric drive, 3,600hp Westinghouse motor, 1 screw
15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h)
15,000 nmi (17,000 mi; 28,000 km) at 12 kn (14 mph; 22 km/h) 9,300 nmi (10,700 mi; 17,200 km) at 14 kn (16 mph; 26 km/h) Endurance: 90 days
70 crew, 112 survey complement
None
Chauvenet was the first Navy vessel specifically designed and built to conduct coastal hydrographic surveys. With sister ship Harkness the two were to replace the World War II transports converted to coastal survey ships Tanner (AGS-15) and Maury (AGS-16) . The ship was operated by MSC with a civilian crew under the technical direction of the Oceanographer of the Navy through the U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO). The surveys were conducted by a complement of military and civilian surveyors. The ship embarked four 36 ft (11.0 m) launches, two helicopters, chart production and printing equipment, the Navy/civilian survey detachment and a Navy Sea Bee coastal survey team with landing and shore vehicles. Survey operations, under NAVOCEANO's Hydrographic Surveys Department, were conducted by the United States Navy's (USN) Oceanographic Survey Unit 4 (OCUNIT4). United States Navy units aboard consisted of a helicopter detachment, a detachment of Seabees as well as several other Navy departments supporting survey missions.
The ship, primarily assigned to the Pacific, was equipped with an early shipboard data acquisition and processing system designated the Hydrographic Data Acquisition System (HYDAS) based on the PDP-9 computer. The identical system was installed aboard Harkness . Similar systems were installed on Sgt. George D Keathley (T-AGS-35) and Kellar (T-AGS-25) . One computer was dedicated to real time collection of survey data and another to processing the data for making nautical charts or being a backup for the real time data collection in event of failure of that computer. A real time navigation plot was generated on a flatbed plotter. The processing computer processed data collected by the ship and the sounding launches which had an associated data collection system designated HYSURCH for hydrographic survey and charting system. The launches themselves were 36 foot fiber glass, diesel powered, "sports sedans" capable of 30 kn (35 mph; 56 km/h) smooth water speed and modified for survey operation.
Chauvenet grounded two hours before midnight 8 May 1982 on Dauisan Reef ( 09°47′0″N 121°13′30″W / 9.78333°N 121.22500°W / 9.78333; -121.22500 ) in the Sulu Sea while transiting from Subic Bay to survey areas in Indonesia. Damage was considerable with flooding of several spaces. Navy salvage operations based aboard Brunswick (ATS-3) over two weeks refloated the ship for temporary repairs at the Ship Repair Facility at Subic before being towed to Sasebo , Japan for permanent repairs.
Reference text from Wikipedia contributors, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
USNS Chauvenet equipment records. Variants, orders and quantities are shown as reported in each inventory source; coverage is incomplete.
United StatesNational Defense Reserve Fleet exact named equipment holdings: Pacific Collector. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: LOGISTICS AND SUPPORT / AGM. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.