In 1996, minimum wage was $4.25, Space Shuttle Endeavor 10 was launched, U.S. troops were being sent to Bosnia, the Dallas Cowboys won the Super Bowl, Alanis Morisette was a headliner at the 38th Grammy Awards, Independence Day made its film debut and Mike Tyson was heavyweight boxing champion.

On July 19, 1996, the same day the city of Atlanta, along with the rest of the U.S., hosted the opening ceremonies of the 26th Olympic Games, an oceanographic ship built in the small coastal town of Moss Point, Mississippi, was delivered to the U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) and activated as a Navy survey vessel with just a meek exchange of signatures and handshakes.

A ship made of 329 feet, 6 inches of steel with a draft of 19 feet and a displacement value of 4,260 long tons -- overshadowed by pop culture of its time -- was designed and constructed to provide multipurpose oceanographic capabilities in coastal and deep ocean areas. As part of the T-AGS 60 class, USNS Bowditch (T-AGS 62) was designed for multi-mission purposes replacing previous single-mission T-AGS ships. Although overlooked during its reception, it would go on to carry out a vital mission for the U.S. Navy over the next 20 years with the completion of 182 surveys and a grand total of 5,460 days at sea.

Bowditch is the third naval ship named for the American astronomer and navigator Nathaniel Bowditch (1773-1838) who published the first edition of his work, "The New American Practical Navigator," in 1802 -- which is to this day the standard reference for merchant marine navigation. However, it is the first ship with the namesake that was specifically designed and constructed to serve as an oceanographic ship. The two earlier ships were constructed for other purposes and converted for oceanographic service.

In order to perform its mission, Bowditch is equipped with the latest survey technology. The ship's speed and heading are automatically controlled by a dynamic positioning system which receives inputs from satellites and other electronic navigation systems. This system provides unparalleled ship control and maneuverability to permit precision position keeping and track line following that takes full advantage of ocean data collection.

The multipurpose oceanographic capabilities utilized by Bowditch include physical, chemical and biological oceanography; multidiscipline environmental investigations; ocean engineering and marine acoustics; marine geology and geophysics; and bathymetric, gravimetric and magnetometric surveying. With 182 surveys completed to date, Bowditch has done what it was designed for and so much more.

In October 1996, just months after the ship was delivered it visited Alexandria, Virginia, to celebrate the Navy's 221st birthday. During this port visit, the crew welcomed aboard retired Cmdr. Pete Bucher, captain of USS Pueblo (AGER-2) when it was captured by North Korea in 1968. Bucher rode with the ship crew from Norfolk up Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River to Alexandria, Virginia, all the while sharing his prisoner of war (POW) stories with the crew and collecting photos of the ship that he turned into one of his well-renowned watercolor paintings.

"Being able to talk sea stories with 'THE' Pete Bucher was an incredible part of my Navy career that I'll never forget," explained NAVOCEANO Technical Director Mark Jarrett. "At one point, the crew was so mesmerized by his POW experience in North Korea that we all had tears streaming down our faces. He was an incredible leader, and the Bowditch was blessed to have him on board."

Although none of the T-AGS class ships have homeports since they are always forward-deployed, Bowditch came as close to home as it would get when it lowered the gangway and welcomed the public aboard in Gulfport, Mississippi, in November 1996 and again in 1997 -- where thousands of guests were able to tour the ship.

Survey Planning Division Supervisor Rich Balser recalled, "Visiting Bowditch in November 1997 was the first time I set foot on one of our ships, as I was in a non-traveling position at the time with NAVOCEANO. This opportunity provided a foundation that influenced my career as a surveyor, the latest iteration of which was my first senior NAVOCEANO representative assignment in September 2015, aboard the same USNS Bowditch."

5,460 days at sea is equivalent to almost 15 years of Bowditch braving stormy seas and enjoying calmer days, with the other five years being accounted for in port visits when the ship underwent a crew change, resupply and updates. Along with its ever-changing and always intelligent detachment crew, Bowditch has spent most of the last 20 years in the Pacific and Indian oceans conducting oceanographic surveys -- including bathymetric, seismic, acoustic, transmission loss and reverberation analysis. The ship spends its life at sea, constantly surveying the world's oceans, but sometimes it is called upon for unusual missions. And true to form, Bowditch is always willing to go the extra mile.

In the spring of 2011, Bowditch embarked on a humbling task in conjunction with Vietnamese military to augment the efforts of Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) in investigating underwater crash sites from the Vietnam War. Three JPAC personnel and five of their counterparts from the Vietnamese Office for Seeking Missing Persons embarked Bowditch and completed 15 surveys off the coast of Da Nang City, Quang Nam, Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Tri provinces.

"It was by far the hardest mission I've ever been a part of because we worked crazy hours," stated Senior NAVOCEANO Representative Allie Skiles, "but it was also my favorite. Vietnam is beautiful and the people are amazing."

All the data was collected and reviewed by JPAC analysts, including underwater anthropologists, to determine whether future investigations would be necessary. The level of cooperation between the U.S. and Vietnam during this particular mission was a great example of the growing relationship between the two nations.

Bowditch committed to a surprise mission without reservation when it was surveying the Philippine archipelagic waters Jan. 17, 2013, and USS Guardian (MCM-5) struck Tubbataha Reef approximately 80 miles east-southeast of Palawan Island and ran aground. The ship crew halted all survey operations and was able to reach Guardian the next day to rescue 79 stranded crew members, along with MSV C-Champion.

"The lifeboats were strung together and the Sailors were in their coveralls and most were missing shoes," recounted Surveyor Jamie Brouillette. "Some of them had horrible sunburns. We had spare mattresses laid out in every area of the ship. We all donated clothing to them, and I even gave someone a pair of boots. They were very appreciative, and we all felt grateful that we were surveying closeby."

Lead Bathymetrist Lawrence Haselmaier added, "All of the men were exhausted and many had lost most of their possessions. We compressed our meal periods and added an additional one to accommodate the extra people. I will never forget the experience of Bowditch taking on 40 extra Sailors for a few days."

Weeks later, it was determined 23-year-old Guardian would be dismantled and safely removed from the reef in sections. Unwavering, Bowditch stayed on scene to see its sister ship through the salvage operation while providing oceanographic products to the fleet. The experience would prove to be excellent training for what the ship would be called to do later that year.

The Republic of the Philippines was not prepared for the devastating aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan that hit in November 2013, but Bowditch was again primed to be first on the scene off the coast of Tacloban. The crew worked tirelessly in support of Operation Damayan -- which literally means "people helping people" -- to ensure safe sea lanes for George Washington Carrier Strike Group (GWCSG) and accompanying ships providing disaster relief. Because NAVOCEANO is located on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, many of the crew aboard endured Hurricane Katrina eight years earlier, which made it even more rewarding to help the victims in any way they could.

"We revisited the islands in the area where we had tide gauges installed and the destruction took my breath away," recounted NAVOCEANO Surveyor Elizabeth Smith, "All of these places once had small villages lining them and you couldn't even see where people once lived. I was having flashbacks of Hurricane Katrina, and once again I found myself looking at total devastation."

Through the use of its multi-beam contour mapping system and wide-angle side-scan sonar systems, the Bowditch crew collected data on the ocean environment to ensure the safety and mission of Sailors and servicemen. The crew also utilized the two hydrographic survey launches, which are small boats kept aboard to collect data in shallow areas.

NAVOCEANO Commanding Officer Capt. Greg Ireton stated, "Today, Bowditch is underway in the Western Pacific continuing to carry out its oceanographic data collection mission and add to its already impressive survey count and miles at sea. Today, we wish her a very happy 20th birthday. She is the epitome of what we want all our Sailors, civilians and military to strive to be -- strong, dependable and committed to the mission. May she continue to make waves well into the future."

Bowditch is operated by the Military Sealift Command for the Naval Oceanographic Office, a component of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command headquartered at Stennis Space Center, Mississippi. It is one of six Pathfinder-class ships with an all-civilian crew of professional mariners and scientific support personnel.

NAVOCEANO, comprised of approximately 800 military, civilian and contractor personnel uses a variety of platforms including ships, aircraft, satellite sensors, buoys and unmanned underwater vehicles to collect oceanographic and hydrographic data from the world's oceans.

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