MV ''Carolyn Chouest'' is a chartered support ship for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

that was originally assigned to the Special Missions Program to support ''NR-1'', the deep submergence craft. She towed ''NR-1'' between work areas, served as a floating supply warehouse and provided quarters for extra crew until the ''NR-1'' was removed from service in 2008. Since the 2010s the ship has been used to support American special forces units in the Pacific region.

Operational history

In 1995, Dr.

Robert Ballard Robert Duane Ballard (born June 30, 1942) is an American retired Navy officer and a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island who is noted for his work in underwater archaeology (maritime archaeology and archaeology of ...

used the ''Carolyn Chouest'' and its sub the ''NR-1'', to explore the wreck of , the sister ship of , which sank off the coast of

Kea The kea ( ; ; ''Nestor notabilis'') is a species of large parrot in the Family (biology), family Strigopidae that is endemic to the forested and alpine regions of the South Island of New Zealand. About long, it is mostly olive-green, with br ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

while serving as a

hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating healthcare, medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navy, navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. November 1999, ''Carolyn Chouest'' assisted recovery efforts after the EgyptAir Flight 990 airplane crash south of

Nantucket, Massachusetts Nantucket () is an island in the state of Massachusetts in the United States, about south of the Cape Cod peninsula. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck Island, Tuckernuck and Muskeget Island, Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and Co ...

. She provided underwater mapping of the debris field using the side-scan sonar and recorded underwater video of the site with the ROV ''Magnum''. February 2002, ''NR-1'' and ''Carolyn Chouest'' helped archeologists to chart the , the Navy's first ironclad warship, as she rests below the sea. October 2004, ''Carolyn Chouest'' helped tow back to

Faslane His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde (HMNB Clyde; also HMS ''Neptune''), primarily sited at Faslane on the Gare Loch, is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth). It ...

, after a fire on board the Canadian submarine killed one crewman and injured two, off

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. December 2006, the fast-attack submarine, resurfaced during sea trials after a 25-year-old

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS), often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard on Seavey's Island in Kittery, Maine, bordering Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The naval yard lies along the southern boundary of Maine on ...

employee began having neurological problems. He was safely transferred to ''Carolyn Chouest'' and continued to receive treatment from ''Pittsburgh''s corpsman until evacuated by a

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a Maritime Security Regimes, maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with cust ...

helicopter. March 2007, ''NR-1'' and ''Carolyn Chouest'' under the direction of oceanographer

began mapping the

Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary The Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) is a United States National Marine Sanctuary located off of Galveston, Texas, in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. It contains the northernmost coral reefs in the United States. Underly ...

to help scientists determine where early Americans might have lived when, at the height of the last ice age, sea levels were nearly lower than they are today. In March 3, 2023 ''Carolyn Chouest'' joined the North Pacific Arctic Conference off

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

References

External links

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Military Sealift Command The Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all U ...

br>Special Mission Program

Research vessels of the United States Rescue and salvage ships of the United States Navy {{US-mil-ship-stub