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USNS Bowditch (T-AGS-62)
Encyclopedia
USNS Bowditch (T-AGS 62) is a Pathfinder class
Pathfinder class survey ship
The Pathfinder class survey ships are owned by the United States Navy and operated by Military Sealift Command for the Naval Oceanographic Office . They have entirely civilian crews, including scientists from NAVOCEANO .-References:*...
oceanographic survey ship. She is the third ship in the class. The USNS Bowditch is a part of a 29 ship Special Mission Ship program and operates in the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
. She is named after Nathaniel Bowditch
Nathaniel Bowditch
Nathaniel Bowditch was an early American mathematician remembered for his work on ocean navigation. He is often credited as the founder of modern maritime navigation; his book The New American Practical Navigator, first published in 1802, is still carried on board every commissioned U.S...
, generally regarded as the founding father of modern navigation and oceanography.