be challenging -- with a 99 percent chance of good times.

Lt. Cmdr. Henry (Hank) Pomeranz succeeded Lt. Cmdr. H.G. (Jim) Bancroft as the new commanding officer of the US Naval Oceanography Command Facility (NOCF) on July 17.

He gained a broad range of experience from his 24 years in the Navy, stationed all over the world in places such as Washington, DC, Florida, Spain and Guam.

Lt. Cmdr. Pomeranz said the four years he spent in Guam taught him a lot about forecasting hurricanes. Guam has more hurricanes than Bermuda and on a much worse level.

Everything he learned in Guam will enable him "to appreciate the forecasting challenge in Bermuda'', he said.

Lt. Cmdr. Pomeranz said it is a challenge to predict weather here because the Island is so far out to sea and away from other observation points. Once a storm leaves the US coast it is difficult to tell its location.

"We rely heavily on satellite pictures,''he said.

Lt. Cmdr. Pomeranz arrived in Bermuda at the end of June from Norfolk, Virginia, where he mainly worked with weather service equipment.

However, most of his military experience with weather is in forecasting.

As head of the NOCF, Lt. Cmdr. Pomeranz's responsibilities include overseeing the facility to make sure everything is done correctly and the services are what the customer wants.

"We are a service organisation,'' said the Lt. Cmdr., who is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The facility's principal service is providing support for commercial and military aviation. Pilots are informed of weather conditions here, en route and at their destination.

Although the NOCF's primary responsibility is to the military, they also organise the Bermuda Weather Service. This service maintains a local weather channel on cable TV, provides weather reports for sailors and issues small craft, storm and hurricane warnings.

Although Lt. Cmdr. Pomeranz oversees the forecasting under normal conditions, he is the first person alerted in an emergency.

If a real challenge comes up, like a hurricane, everyone gets involved "in putting out the most accurate forecast possible,'' he said.

With the hurricane season under way, Bermuda is expected to benefit from his expertise in predicting these potentially destructive storms.

Lt. Cmdr. Pomeranz, a native of New York City, began his career when he joined the Navy in 1965. He was unable to become an air traffic controller, his first choice, so he became a meteorologist, his second choice.

Although Lt. Cmdr Pomeranz had never been to Bermuda before a short visit in April to find a house, he was always eager to be stationed here.

Bermuda is "very highly sought after'' by Navy personnel, he said.

The meteorologist is stationed here for only two years, to give other commanding officers the chance to work here.

Lt. Cmdr. Pomeranz and his wife, Joanne, who sailed to Bermuda from Virginia, are delighted to be here, in what they consider "the sailing paradise of the Atlantic''. They have two children who are still living in Virginia.

A NEW FACE -- Lt. Cmdr. Henry Pomeranz this month replaced Lt. Cmdr. H.G.

Bancroft as the Naval Oceanography Command Facility commanding officer and head of Bermuda's Weather Service.