MATTHEW FONTAINE MAURY
PATHFINDER OF THE SEAS


Matthew Fontaine Maury born January 14, 1806 , died February 1, 1873



American astronomer, astrophysicist, historian, oceanographer, metorologist, cartographer, author, geologist and educator

     He was nicknamed PATHFINDER of the SEAS and FATHER of modern Oceanography and Naval Meteorology and later Scientist of the Seas, due to the publication of his extensive works in books, especially Physical Geography of the Sea 1855, the first extensive and comprehensive book on oceanography published. Maury made many important new contributions to charting winds and ocean currents, including pathways for ships at sea.

     His hard work on and love of plotting the oceans paid off when he became superintendant of the Department of Charts and Instruments in 1842, mostly due to his articles on United States Naval reform published in newspapers. Upon the establishment of the Untited States Naval Observatory in 1844 thatnks to President John Q. Adams in his last months of office, Lieutenant Maury became its first superintendant, holding that position until his resignation in April 1861.

     Lieutenant Maury published his Wind and Current Chart of the North Atlantic, which showed sailors how to use the ocean's currents and winds to their advantage and drastically reduce the length of ocean voyages; his Sailing Directions and Physical Geography of the Seas and its Meterology remain standard. Maury's uniform system of recording synoptic oceanographic data was adopted by the Navies and merchant marines around the world and was used to develop charts for all major trade routes.

     Thus the United States Navy created and built surveying ships to carry on the work of Maury. To chart wind currents, water temperatures and underwater obsticles to produce the many maps and charts used today by the Navy and Merchant Marine.

Information compliled from Wikipedia

   This is the first ship that the Navy actually built to do the job of Hydrographic Surveying       USS Pathfinder AGS1 


These Ships were at the time the most modern Hydrographic Survey Ships that the US Navy had its disposal

   USS Tanner AGS15     USS Maury AGS16   USS Pursuit AGS17      USS Requisite AGS18      USS Shelldrake AGS19      

                                             USS Allegheny ATA179      USS Prevail AGS20     USS Serrano AGS24        USS Stallion ATA193 

These are two of the  seven new  Hydrographic Survey Ships Under the command of the
Military Sealift Command

 USNS Mary Sears T-AGS-65

USNS MAURY T-AGS-66


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