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NOAA SHIP RUDE SCANNING OCEAN FLOOR FOR KENNEDY PLANE

July 18, 1999 — The NOAA Ship Rude is aiding the U.S. Coast Guard in the search for the plane believed to be that of John F. Kennedy, Jr. The Rude is a hydrographic survey vessel that scans the ocean floor using sophisticated technology to locate the wreckage. The Rude helped to locate the wreckage of TWA flight 800 in July 1996.

Media should contact the U.S. Coast Guard public affairs command center in Boston, Mass., at (617) 223-8515. The NOAA spokesmen are Chris Smith and Robert Chartuk. They can be reached through this number.

Background Information

FACT SHEET ON NOAA SHIPS RUDE AND WHITING

NOAA LOCATES WRECKAGE ON OCEAN FLOOR AFTER TWA FLIGHT 800 DISASTER

SIDE SCAN SONAR

NOAA'S OFFICE OF COAST SURVEY — The nation's official chartmaker.

U.S. COAST GUARD

For more information contact NOAA public affairs in Washington, DC, at (202) 482-6090.



Office of NOAA Corps
Since NOAA’s beginning, a large percentage of its oceanographic, atmospheric, hydrographic, fisheries and coastal data has been collected on NOAA ships and aircraft. This fleet of platforms is managed and operated by the Office of NOAA Corps Operations, an office made up of civilians and officers of the NOAA Commissioned Corps (a uniformed service of the United States). In addition to research and monitoring activities critical to NOAA’s mission, NOAA ships and aircraft provide immediate response capabilities for unpredictable events, such as recovery and search efforts after the TWA Flight 800 crash, damage assessment after major oil spills such as the Exxon Valdez, Persian Gulf War and New Carissa, and several major hurricanes during the 1998 season.

 

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