The Naval Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (French: Service hydrographique et océanographique de la Marine or SHOM) is a French public establishment of an administrative nature (French: établissement public à caractère administratif) administered by the Ministry of Armed Forces.
It is the successor to the Dépôt des cartes et plans de la Marine, founded in 1720 which became the Naval Hydrographic Service in 1886 and the Naval and Oceanographic Service in 1971.
This public body has several aims, including the provision of : SHOM is made up of oceanographic and hydrographic groups, as well as a school, and employs 500 naval and civil personnel.
Its fleet, which is placed at its disposal by the French navy, consists of 5 boats: the Beautemps-Beaupré, the Borda, the La Pérouse, the Laplace and the Pourquoi-Pas ?.
SHOM works in cooperation with many other national organisations, including IFREMER (with whom it shares the Pourquoi-Pas ?