Mayport Elementary Tours Pathfinder

MAYPORT, Fla. (NNS) -- USNS Pathfinder (T-AGS) welcomed aboard 60 fifth-graders from Mayport Elementary for a tour hosted by the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO).

Teacher Bridge Kimes explained that the elementary school was recently named a coastal science magnet school after receiving a three million dollar government grant.

"I teach math through the lens of coastal science so this is a great opportunity for the students to see firsthand how that math is applied," said Kimes. She and her students were welcomed aboard by NAVOCEANO Director of Operations Mark Jarrett, senior NAVOCEANO representative James Duke and Pathfinder's master, Capt. Thomas Pearse-Drance.

Students learned how the oceanographers collect data and then send the information back to their home base at Stennis Space Center, Miss.

They were also able to view and learn about NAVOCEANO's ocean gliders and seagliders, which are unmanned vehicles used to assist the survey team in collecting data.

"We've seen a glider on YouTube so it's cool for them to see one in person," said Kimes.

At the stern of the ship, students viewed two remote environmental monitoring unit systems, which are used in the daily operations of the T-AGS 60 ships to survey the littoral battlespace.

They also visited the bridge of the ship where Pearse-Drance explained the difficulty in maneuvering a large ship.

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