The principal address will be delivered by Dr. Robert Ballard, the ship’s namesake.  Additional speakers will include the Honorable Brendan Rogers, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment; Rear Adm. Benjamin Nicholson, commander, Military Sealift Command; Rear Adm. Erin Acosta, commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command; and Mr. Ben Bordelon, president and CEO, Bollinger Shipyards.

In a time-honored tradition, ship sponsor Barbara Earle Ballard, spouse of the namesake and president of Odyssey Enterprises, will christen the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow.

The ship is named in honor of Dr. Robert Ballard, a retired U.S Navy commander and a tenured professor of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography. Ballard is also a National Geographic Explorer at Large. Ballard is renowned for discovering the final resting place of the RMS Titanic.

The christening of the future USNS Robert Ballard underscores the Navy's commitment to building America’s Golden Fleet. For 250 years, American naval power has projected strength globally. That mission continues – and intensifies. We operate forward 24/7, 365 days a year. This operational tempo demands continuous capability delivery, and the Golden Fleet is our answer.

Oceanographic survey ships have two multipurpose cranes and five winches, plus a variety of oceanographic equipment including multibeam echo-sounders, towed sonars and expendable sensors.

For more on Oceanographic Survey Ships, visit: https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2222996/oceanographic-survey-ships-t-ags/