Nauticus to Host NOAA Day

On Saturday, June 25, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., Nauticus will honor employees of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and their families at the museum's annual NOAA Day. NOAA employees will also be on hand to showcase the agency's offerings to museum visitors. NOAA Day is open to the public and included in regular Nauticus admission. It is free for all NOAA employees.

As part of the day's activities, the public is welcome to tour two NOAA vessels, the National Marine Sanctuaries vessel (SRV-x) used to locate and survey historic shipwrecks, and the Bay Hydro II survey vessel, which maps the shoals and channels of the Chesapeake Bay. Also available will be several hands-on activities, including building buoys, driving remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), and experiencing a new exhibit interpreting tsunamis.

NOAA representatives and their partners will present free lectures on maritime heritage throughout the afternoon. The schedule is as follows:

1:00 p.m.
Why Blockade? Confederate Strategies During the Civil War
John V. Quarstein, Historian, Preservationist, and Author

1:30 p.m.
America's Museums Under the Ocean
David Alberg, Superintendent, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary

2:00 p.m.
Unlocking the Secrets of the Cumberland
Joseph Hoyt, Maritime Archaeologist, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary & Alexsis Catsambis, Maritime Archaeologist Naval History & Heritage Command

2:30 p.m.
USS Cumberland—History and Legacy of an American Warship
Gordon Calhoun, Editor/Historian, Hampton Roads Naval Museum

NOAA currently has an office in Nauticus, and is a frequent partner with grants, lecture series and other events. "NOAA Day is a great opportunity for the public to get to 'know' NOAA." said Andrew Larkin, NOAA at Nauticus' Project Manager. "We appreciate that Nauticus supports and celebrates the men and women of NOAA who work to serve the nation."