Captain Michael S. Devany Takes Command of NOAA’s Atlantic Fleet of Scientific Research Ships
June 17, 2009
NOAA Captain Michael S. Devany has taken command of the day-to-day operations of the nine research and survey ships in NOAA’s Atlantic fleet controlled from the agency’s Atlantic Marine Operations Center in Norfolk, Va.
Each year these NOAA ships accommodate dozens of missions and scientists who assess Atlantic fish and marine mammal stocks, conduct coral reef research, recover marine debris, and collect seafloor data to update nautical charts.
Captain Devany came to Norfolk from Seattle, where he was executive officer of NOAA’s Pacific Marine Operations Center. He replaced NOAA Captain Emily Christman, who is retiring July 1.
The June 1 change of command ceremony was presided over by Rear Adm. Philip Kenul, director of NOAA’s Marine and Aviation Operation Centers.
Since his appointment as a NOAA Corps officer in 1990, Devany has nearly 20 years of experience in environmental restoration, response, compliance, and data acquisition in the marine environment. He also has extensive experience in collaborating with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency, and coastal states in planning and response to oil spills and releases of hazardous materials.
Devany sailed as commanding officer of NOAA ships Oscar Elton Sette and John N. Cobb, as well as sailing on three other NOAA ships. Prior to serving in NOAA, he sailed as a U.S. Navy surface warfare officer on the destroyer USS John Young.
Devany holds a master’s degree in public health from the University of South Florida and a Bachelor of science degree in biology from the University of Washington. He is a NOAA senior watch officer, a NOAA working diver, and holds a U.S. Coast Guard 1600-ton masters license for ocean vessels.
Devany and his wife, Tracy Bishop, will reside in Norfolk with their three children.
The NOAA fleet of research ships and aircraft is operated, managed, and maintained by the NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, which includes civilians and officers of the NOAA Corps. The NOAA Corps is one of the nation’s seven uniformed services. Its commissioned officers have degrees in engineering, science, or mathematics and provide NOAA with an important blend of technical, operational, and leadership skills at sea, in the air, and in program offices throughout the nation.
NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the oceans to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.