RV Neil Armstrong (AGOR-27) RV Neil Armstrong (AGOR-27) RV "Neil Armstrong" (AGOR-27) is the designation for a new oceanographic research ship, first of the s, to be owned by the United States Navy and operated by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced on September 24, 2012 that the research vessel was to be named after Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the Moon and a former naval aviator who served in the Korean War. The ship was ordered in May 2010 as a replacement for , operated by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution since 1970. The ship was
Frank A. Armstrong 1930, and at Randolph Field, San Antonio, Texas, in 1931. In March 1934, he was one of a group of Army pilots placed under the command of Captain Ira Eaker. On October 1, 1934, he was promoted to 1st lieutenant. Armstrong was assigned in December 1934 as a pursuit pilot at Albrook Field, Panama Canal Zone. In 1937, Armstrong earned the Distinguished Flying Cross in peacetime by skillfully landing an amphibian airplane whose engine had exploded. He was promoted to the temporary rank of captain on March 15, 1936, returned to his permanent pay grade on June 16, and was