URI-led
consortium selected to operate new research ship to replace R/V Endeavor
$100 million vessel to be delivered
to GSO in 2021
An artist’s rendering
of the new Regional Class Research Vessel to be operated by URI’s Graduate
School of Oceanography and home-ported at the University’s Narragansett Bay
Campus. (Glosten Associates)
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has selected the East Coast Oceanographic Consortium, led by the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography, to operate a new oceanographic research ship, one of only three such vessels in the nation.
Owned by NSF and
valued at over $100 million, the Regional Class Research Vessel will be
constructed in Louisiana, delivered to Rhode Island in 2021 and home-ported at
URI’s Narragansett Bay Campus.
“This significant investment in the nation’s scientific research recognizes URI’s half-century of leadership in the field of oceanography and its long-standing and fruitful collaborations with partner institutions,” said URI President David M. Dooley.
“No doubt the new vessel will help researchers, educators, students and the public gain a richer understanding of our planet and stimulate exploration that will lead to discoveries we can’t yet imagine.”
“This is tremendous
news for the Consortium members, URI, and the state of Rhode Island,” said
Bruce Corliss, dean of the Graduate School of Oceanography. “This new ship and
our consortium will provide cutting edge technology and exciting new
opportunities for research, education and outreach in ocean science and
exploration.”
The East Coast
Oceanographic Consortium, whose members include URI, the Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institution and the University of New Hampshire School of Marine
Science and Ocean Engineering — along with 16 associate members — submitted a
proposal in April to operate one of three new NSF research vessels that will
enhance and update the nation’s Academic Research Fleet.
“The award of the RCRV
to the East Coast Oceanographic Consortium demonstrates the power of collaboration,”
said Robert Munier, vice president for Marine Facilities and Operations at
Woods Hole. “Providing access to the sea for our scientists and engineers is a
key mission objective, which the Consortium will now be able to provide for
decades to come.”
“This is particularly
exciting news for the new School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering at
UNH,” said Larry Mayer, director of the school. “As a member of the East Coast
Oceanographic Consortium with access to this new state-of-the-art research
vessel, UNH scientists will have an unprecedented opportunity to participate in
a range of important coastal and deep sea research experiments.”
Continuing URI’s half
century of ocean-going research, the new vessel will support such scientific
studies as the tracking of ocean currents and fish migration, seafloor surveys
in earth-quake prone regions of the world, conservation of marine mammals or
the food-web dynamics in the deep ocean.
In addition, the ship will offer educational opportunities to teachers and students from high school through the graduate level, as well as outreach to the general public.
In addition, the ship will offer educational opportunities to teachers and students from high school through the graduate level, as well as outreach to the general public.
In 2017 NSF awarded
the first of the three new research vessels to Oregon State University, which
is overseeing design and construction of all three ships.
Naval architecture and engineering consultant Glosten Associates is developing the ship design, with input from leading oceanographers from throughout the U.S. The ships will be built at Gulf Island Shipyards, LLC, in Houma, La.
Naval architecture and engineering consultant Glosten Associates is developing the ship design, with input from leading oceanographers from throughout the U.S. The ships will be built at Gulf Island Shipyards, LLC, in Houma, La.
The new ship will be
199 feet long and 41 feet wide and will feature improved science labs, more
workspace, state-of-the-art technologies, and more comfortable berthing. The
ship will be able to cruise at 11.5 knots for up to 21 days.
It will also include a dynamic positioning system that enables ships to remain in one exact spot for long periods and will allow operation of remote operated vehicles. The ship will carry a crew of 13 and up to 16 scientists and have a cruising range of 5,400 nautical miles.
It will also include a dynamic positioning system that enables ships to remain in one exact spot for long periods and will allow operation of remote operated vehicles. The ship will carry a crew of 13 and up to 16 scientists and have a cruising range of 5,400 nautical miles.
Regional Class
Research Vessels conduct operations in the coastal ocean ranging from
near-shore environments to the outer continental rise, as well as the open
ocean.
The vessel’s endurance, draft, ice classification and science mission equipment are tailored for essential science throughout the Atlantic Ocean and adjoining seas.
The vessel’s endurance, draft, ice classification and science mission equipment are tailored for essential science throughout the Atlantic Ocean and adjoining seas.
NSF and other federal
sponsors, including NOAA and the Office of Naval Research, are likely to
continue annual funding of approximately $5 million to URI to operate the
vessel.
These funds support the cost of operating a research vessel, which include crew, food, fuel, planned maintenance, safety training, and science logistics. Scheduling will be coordinated through the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System.
These funds support the cost of operating a research vessel, which include crew, food, fuel, planned maintenance, safety training, and science logistics. Scheduling will be coordinated through the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System.
The consortium’s
associate members will have opportunities to conduct research at sea and will
collaborate on research, education and outreach activities. They are: Bermuda
Institute of Ocean Sciences; Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences; Brown
University; Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University; Harvard
University; Ocean Exploration Trust; University of Maine; University of Miami;
University of Puerto Rico; University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth; University
of Massachusetts, Boston, Florida Institute of Oceanography, and the University
of South Florida. The consortium members will hold an annual science meeting to
promote collaborations amongst the member institutions.
“I appreciate the
commitment and dedication of all of our consortium members in preparing a
successful proposal and planning for the operation of this new vessel,” Corliss
said. “I look forward to partnering with them as we continue our work to
advance ocean science and education worldwide.”
The URI vessel will
replace R/V Endeavor, a 185-foot ship that URI has operated for more than 40
years and is nearing the end of its useful life. Endeavor traveled more than
one million nautical miles from the Arctic to the South Pacific and nearly
everywhere in between while conducting more than 600 research expeditions.
“As a floating
laboratory and classroom, Endeavor has been a tremendous facility for
the University and for the state and has raised URI and GSO’s profile
internationally,” said Corliss.
“Endeavor has made important contributions to the state’s economy, and the work conducted aboard the ship has advanced our understanding of oceanographic processes. We are pleased to continue this legacy over the next 40 years with the new vessel.”
“Endeavor has made important contributions to the state’s economy, and the work conducted aboard the ship has advanced our understanding of oceanographic processes. We are pleased to continue this legacy over the next 40 years with the new vessel.”
URI’s first ship, R/V
Trident, was a former Army coastal freighter that was converted to a research
vessel and operated by URI from 1962 to 1976.
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