NOAAS Ronald H. Brown

Ronald H. Browns keel was laid at VT Halter Marine's Moss Point shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, in February 1995, and she was launched on 30 May 1996. NOAA commissioned her on 19 July 1997 at her home port, Charleston, South Carolina. She was NOAA's first newly built oceanographic research vessel in 17 years. ==Technical characteristics==

At in length, Ronald H. Brown is the largest vessel in the NOAA fleet. Her hull is hardened against ice to allow for Arctic and Antarctic research. The ship has a total of 59 bunk spaces and can seat 30 at a time in her mess room. The ship also includes a two-bed hospital facility. She carries a complement of six NOAA Corps commissioned officers, one commissioned U.S. Public Health Service medical officer, 22 Ronald H. Brown and three other research ships were all built to the same basic design. Her three sister ships, all owned by the US Navy, are , operated by the University of Washington, , operated by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, and , operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Operational history Ronald H. Brown has participated in many national and international projects. by the time she returned on 25 March 2017, she had spent 1,347 days deployed, the longest deployment by a NOAA ship in history. ==Honors and awards==

• Department of Commerce Gold Medal ==See also==