A Shipshape Lounge for NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) makes our nautical charts—and your coastal chic design—a reality.
One of four large ships operated by NOAA, the Thomas Jefferson's officers, crew, and scientists survey Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and Great Lakes waters to collect data; NOAA’s cartographers create nautical charts based on their expert research.
Part of NOAA’s fleet since 2003, the Thomas Jefferson was recently renovated and our nautical chart wallpaper now enhances walls in the crew lounge.
Inspired Initiative
“When I first saw the nautical chart wallpaper, I thought how cool that would be on our ship,” says Rob Bayliss, Boatswain Group Leader on the Thomas Jefferson.
Nautical Chart Wallpaper created an impressive installation for this official American vessel that literally charts our nautical charts.
“I immediately thought of the captain’s office, but it wouldn’t be seen by everyone very often,” says Rob. “We started our winter repair and pulled everything out of the ship’s lounge…that’s when I thought this would be a great location where everybody would see the wallpaper,” he says.
Excellent choice, Rob. We are bow over stern (head over heels) to showcase our collective work on this extraordinary vessel.
“We decided on the Chesapeake Bay chart because our ship is homeported in Norfolk, Virginia and wherever we work—as far north as Nova Scotia or as far south as Puerto Rico—we must navigate in and out of the Chesapeake Bay,” says Rob.
Stately Ship Stats
At a length of 208 feet, the Thomas Jefferson has grand scope—it can navigate sea for 45 days, cruises at 11 knots, has a range of 19,200 nautical miles, and masterfully “maps the ocean to aid maritime commerce, improve coastal resilience, and understand the marine environment”.
How does the Thomas Jefferson’s crew lay the course to develop charts?
“When we chart different bodies of water, we follow line plans we make (called mowing the lawn because it is like cutting the grass in your yard). We drive back and forth slightly overlapping the last line driven,” says Rob.
“We also use a matrix where we drive for coverage…called painting the bottom. This is where we see colors on the computer of the swath width and sonar (sound navigation and ranging) and we can slightly overlap what we did previously. This is a good option because we can drive any way we choose. If it’s bad weather, we can run a different direction for a smoother ride,” he says.
Skillful and brilliant! We learned a boatload of knowledge on this stellar project. Check out this brief video to see the Thomas Jefferson in action.
Fun Facts
The Thomas Jefferson traveled to Puerto Rico to identify submerged hazards after Hurricane Maria.
Sonar technology is used to gather seafloor images and pinpoint shipwrecks.
A Cooperative Craft
An ocean of thanks to the Thomas Jefferson crew. May you have fair winds, rewarding voyages, and enjoy your nautical chart wallpaper.
Plus, a special shout-out to “Super Jay” Berger with Hanger Constructions in Virginia Beach, Virginia who made this professional installation topnotch. Jay can be reached at (757) 831-4617 and we recommend his exceptional services.
“Super Jay” asked for minimal seams in horizontal versus standard vertical style for the Thomas Jefferson’s nautical chart wallpaper. We printed two horizontal panels 40.5" H x 220" W with one seam on the entire wall for chart #12222 Cape Charles to Norfolk Harbor. And we printed one panel 81" H x 57" W with no seams for chart #12280 Chesapeake Bay. Our custom nautical chart wallpaper truly has seamless possibilities.
(We first met Jay when he installed our nautical chart wallpaper at the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club—just around the corner from the Thomas Jefferson’s homeport.)
Follow @nauticalchartwallpaper to view other admirable projects.
