NOAA Ship John N. Cobb: From Fisheries Research to the National Register of Historic Places

Ed Levy
NOAA Office of Communications

February 27, 2009 — The long proud history of the John N. Cobb as an active fisheries research vessel came to an end last August at the ship’s decommissioning ceremony, held at the NOAA Western Regional Center in Seattle. The speakers talked about the Cobb’s groundbreaking research and the hundreds of hard-working men and women who served aboard the Cobb.  The Cobb’s last active year was abruptly cut short due to a catastrophic breakdown — a broken main crankshaft in her vintage engine, which was unfeasible to repair.

The Cobb entered service in 1950, and over the next 58 years, conducted operations for NOAA, the Navy, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Atomic Energy Commission, and every West Coast university’s fisheries or oceanographic program. Her size was 93 feet in length, 26 feet in beam, and a gross tonnage of 185 tons. Joe Orsi of the NMFS Auke Bay Laboratory notes that the Cobb was similar in size to another historic wooden-hulled vessel, the Mayflower! However, the Mayflower was a little more crowded in 1620 with 130 persons aboard compared to about 12 on the Cobb.

LT Chad Cary, the last Commanding Officer of the Cobb, notes that the ship was staffed by two officers, two engineers, one cook, and three deckhands and would take up to four scientists out on each cruise. Unique to the Cobb, the officers and engineers stood two six-hour watches daily — a grueling schedule to maintain during a six-month field season.

Some of the Cobb’s research projects included: studying factors affecting year class strength for juvenile salmon; researching harbor seal ecology near tidewater glaciers; conducting marine mammal surveys on cetacean ecology and humpback whale prey; and investigating coral and sponge habitat.  The Cobb’s career also includes at least two high-profile rescue operations and one burial at sea.

The Cobb’s research used almost every type of fishing method, including seining, trawling, and long-lining off Southeast Alaska and U.S. Pacific coastal waters.  The ship collected fish and crustacean specimens, along with fish larvae, eggs, and plankton using specialized nets.

The Cobb played an important role in helping evaluate the effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska in 1989. The Cobb supported numerous studies of the lingering effects of this damaging oil spill on the area’s ecology. The Cobb’s work off Alaska began in 1950 — nearly a decade before statehood.

It fell to LT Cary as the Ship's last CO to pursue listing of the Cobb on the National Register of Historic Places, which helps preserve places significant to American history and culture. He first determined what NOAA was legally required to do with a potential heritage asset. The next step was to hire a qualified contractor to conduct a determination of eligibility study and to prepare the nomination package to the National Register. This package required concurrence from the Washington State Historic Preservation Office and from NOAA Preservation Officer Miguel Aparicio.  Aparicio forwarded the approved package to the National Park Service "Keeper," who posted notice of the proposed listing in the Federal Register for 15 days.  After this 15-day period, the Cobb was added to the National Register!