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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced it is bringing the ship Thomas Jefferson to the Port City in September and welcomes visitors to come aboard!
Free public tours will be available from 2 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2 while the vessel is docked at the Port of Oswego West Pier, 1 W. First St., Oswego.
“We’re excited to welcome this ship to Oswego – and to welcome visitors to come aboard and check out what NOAA has been working on across Lake Ontario this summer,” said Oswego County Legislator Mary Ellen Chesbro, District 10, chairwoman of the Legislature’s Economic Development and Planning Committee. “It’s really a great opportunity for people to see part of the lake that not many get a chance to.”
Visitors will be able to tour the ship and learn about its mission – surveying and mapping the bottom of the lake – and talk to representatives from the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary.
The ship’s crew includes officers and scientists who have been mapping the waters of western and central Lake Erie and eastern Lake Ontario this summer for the first time in nearly a century. Their efforts aim to improve navigation safety and document marine resources to enhance conservation work.
The Thomas Jefferson is a hydrographic survey ship that maps the ocean to better understand marine environments. The vessel’s side scan sonar collects images of the seafloor, which can help detect shipwrecks or other obstructions that could potentially be dangerous to navigation. The sonar releases sound waves in a swath that generates a detailed image of objects on the seafloor.
The 208-ft. ship was commissioned in 2003 and is one of NOAA’s most critical resources following severe weather events or ocean emergencies. It has been used to respond to dozens of hurricanes by searching for navigation hazards and helping to limit disruption to maritime commerce.
Visitors of the Thomas Jefferson are welcome to park at the H. Lee White Maritime Museum on Oswego’s West First Street Pier.
Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary was designated in 2024 as NOAA’s 16th sanctuary. Spanning 1,722 square miles, it features over 70 known shipwrecks.
For more information about NOAA or the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary, visit https://www.noaa.gov/ or https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/lake-ontario/.
The Legislature’s Economic Development and Planning Committee oversees the Oswego County Tourism Department. In addition to Legislator Chesbro, committee members include Vice Chairwoman Noelle Salmonsen, District 21; Edward Gilson, District 3; Paul House, District 8; Christine Novak, District 16; Roy E. Reehil, District 5; and Ryan Taylor, District 25.
