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New Navy Oceanography Center Established at Stennis Space Center

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS060923-02
Release Date: 9/23/2006 10:12:00 PM

By Cathy Willis, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command Public Affairs

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. (NNS) -- The Navy established the Naval Oceanography Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Center at Stennis Space Center (SSC), Miss., Sept. 22 with Cmdr. John Van Gurley as its first commanding officer.

The ASW center includes about 35 personnel at SSC with another 60 people at subordinate field activities. The center provides warfighters who support naval ASW exercises and operations with oceanographic expertise and access to products and services of the Naval Oceanographic Office at SSC. Establishment of the center comes after a two-year revitalization of the Navy’s operational oceanography program.

The center reports to the Naval Oceanography Operations Command, a subordinate of the Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, both located at SSC.

“This is a very exciting time for naval oceanography,” said guest speaker Rear Adm. Timothy McGee, commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command. “The Navy’s first line of defense for undersea warfare starts here.”

Gurley graduated from the University of Florida and Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal (four awards), Navy Commendation Medal (two awards) and Navy Achievement Medal, in addition to various service and campaign awards. He most recently served as director of Oceanography Operations for ASW on the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command staff.

The Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command directs the Navy’s meteorology and oceanography programs and includes about 3,000 officer, enlisted and civilian personnel located worldwide. The Naval Oceanography Operations Command, established in 2005, is focused on operational support to the Navy's warfighting and support disciplines -- Anti-Submarine Warfare; Special Warfare; Mine Warfare; Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance; and Fleet Operations (Strike and Expeditionary); Navigation, Precise Time and Astrometry, Maritime and Aviation. It is headed by Capt. David W. Titley.