Abstract - The U.S. fleet of research ships that make up the academic fleet coordinated by University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) is probably in the best shape it has ever been in. We have many new, large and very capable ships that are run efficiently and are facilitating new advances in ocean science. However, many of the ships will be reaching the end of their lifetime in the coming decade and will need replacement. This chapter will discuss the process required to keep the fleet up to date.
 
 

The United States has a unique asset in its academic oceanographic research fleet. Unlike other countries where oceanographic research fleets are managed by governmental agencies we have an extremely decentralized system. Academic research ships are operated by universities and other non-profit organizations using funds from a variety of mostly federal sources. Obviously such a system can provide incredible diversity and choice to the scientist but requires considerable coordination. In 1972 the University-National Oceanographic System (UNOLS) [1] was created with funding from the principle ocean agencies. UNOLS provides coordination of the fleet and allows operators to pool resources such as insurance, safety, risk manager service, personnel exchange as well as a mature communications network for exchanging ideas and problem solving. UNOLS does not fund the fleet. That is done by the federal agencies directly to each operator institution. Probably most importantly UNOLS allows the scientist to have a wide variety of ship capabilities available but yet, because of coordination though UNOLS, be able to plan cruises relatively easily and know the ship meets high safety standards.

UNOLS is made up of 61 organizations (Click here to see UNOLS Membership List or the UNOLS Map of Institutions) of which 20 operate the 28 research ships that make up the UNOLS fleet. Users of the ships can come from any institution and in fact most research ships get more than one-half their users from institutions other than their own.

In this chapter we will discuss one particular aspect of UNOLS: how it deals with changing needs and aging of vessels.
 
 

The original UNOLS Fleet of 1972 consisted of 35 ships operated by 17 institutions. These were divided into four classes based on size. Nine ships were in the largest class, over 200 feet; six ships were 150 to 200 feet; seven ships were 100 to 149 feet and thirteen ships were 65 to 99 feet in length. By 1973, four of the smaller ships (less than 100 feet) had dropped out of the fleet. With the exception of the smaller vessels, both the number of ships and distribution by size has remained amazingly consistent over the years in spite of an 85% turnover. A chart showing the UNOLS Fleet history is appended to this chapter.

From the beginning of UNOLS, fleet replacement has been a primary function of the organization as seen in the following quote from the First Annual Report of UNOLS Advisory Council to Federal Funding Agencies dated 1 July 1972 [2]. "The Advisory Council shall make an annual report to the funding agencies via UNOLS and shall include all matters pursuant to its Charter as: ..... The need for replacement and additional facilities and their assignment, and an assessment of outmoded or excess facilities and their dispositions." This effort has proven successful over the years with only four ships of the 1972 fleet remaining (KNORR, MELVILLE, ALPHA HELIX and CALANUS) and all of these have received significant upgrades.

The US Navy owned thirteen of the original ships of the UNOLS Fleet. All of the remaining ships were owned by the respective institution with the exception of KANA KEOKI which was chartered. Today’s fleet has five ships owned by Navy. These ships are all over 200 feet and represent five of the Fleet’s six ships of this size class. The National Science Foundation is presently the owner of eight ships while the operating institutions own the remaining 15. All of the Navy ships were built as research ships and all but two of the NSF ships started their life as research vessels.
 
 

In late 1972 UNOLS established a standing committee to address acquisition of new ships. The committee eventually was named the Fleet Replacement Committee and immediately went to work developing Science Mission Requirements (SMRs) for the needs of the community. This process is the first step in the design cycle of a ship. It brings sea-going scientists together articulating their needs for collecting scientific data at sea. The importance of this basic step can not be over emphasized and must be the driver for ship design. With the exception of cost, preconceived notions of ship design, size and character must never place constraints on the basic, initial step of Science Mission Requirements. Once agreed upon, these SMRs become the basis for a Conceptual Design. The Conceptual Design leads to a Preliminary Design which provides the foundation for the Builder’s Design. This orderly progression ensures user input at all critical steps which is the key to a successful research vessel. Over the years Science Mission Requirements have been developed for all class of ships including an icebreaker and have been the foundation for both ship replacement and ship upgrades. The success of the Fleet Replacement Group is reflected in the name change of this committee to the Fleet Improvement Committee (FIC).

The Fleet Improvement Committee is continually assessing the requirements of science and how these science needs will be met. In this process a Fleet Improvement Plan is published every five years with ongoing updates in draft to provide a living document. This document outlines the science needs for each of the four oceanographic disciplines. It attempts to project future requirements then assesses the fleets capabilities to meet these needs. When areas of change are evident the FIC will develop Science Mission Requirements to lay the groundwork for upgrades in current facilities or establish the rationale for a new vessel. A major effort was undertaken in the late 80’s to develop the requirements for an Arctic Icebreaker. This process took several iterations resulting in the design to grow in capability, size and cost. Because the United States Coast Guard was building an icebreaker for scientific use, the UNOLS designed ship was not built, however, the studies of the FIC were not wasted. Many of the ideas developed in this project were used to advise the Coast Guard on design changes to enhance their icebreaker, USCGC MICHAEL HEALY. This is currently work in progress by another UNOLS Committee, the Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee (AICC).

The Fleet Improvement Committee efforts were also effective in fleshing out Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) designs and developing the scientific advantages of this ship design. Several SWATH studies were undertaken in the 80’s. The fruits of this work are being applied in the design of the newest UNOLS ship to be built, AGOR 26. The Navy is funding this project. This SWATH vessel is presently under construction and will join the fleet in 2002 with the University of Hawaii as its operator.

As the studies of the oceans mature several trends are becoming evident. More scientists are requiring multi-disciplinary programs at sea. This translates into the need for more bunk space, more laboratory space and more science equipment storage space. Scientists are seeking data from areas in the oceans where little work has been previously done. Most of these areas are in more hostile environments. Related to this is the need to collect information in severe weather conditions. These needs suggest a ship with better sea keeping ability; a platform that can operate safely and with increased comfort in sea states heretofore avoided. The SWATH design, broad beams and motion compensation systems have emerged to address these requirements.

The Fleet Improvement Committee currently has two major projects in progress. One deals with a replacement for R/V ALPHA HELIX in Alaska and the second concerns a future research ship suitable for work in the coastal waters off the east coast of the United States.

The subcommittee developing the Science Mission Requirements for ALPHA HELIX replacement has been exploring an expanded role for this ship, that of fisheries research. Historically UNOLS has not provided facilities to researcher in fisheries programs save for primary production problems. Net tows larger than those used for plankton collection have been all that is necessary. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) of NOAA, through the NOAA Fleet, have provided the facilities for fish sampling and assessment. Several issues are changing that have blurred the lines between the traditional roles of NMFS and the academic community. As with traditional oceanography, the study of fisheries is recognizing the need for multi-disciplinary approaches to fish habitat, life cycles and recruitment which includes the biology, chemistry and physics of the waters; areas of primary concern for academic researchers. In addition, acoustics are beginning to play a larger role in fisheries studies and assessment. Although NMFS scientists have been active in this research, considerable knowledge of ocean acoustics resides in the academic community. These issues have caused increasing cooperation between academic and NMFS scientists. It follows that a platform designed for fisheries research should be equipped to accommodate these merging studies. A ship operated by an academic institution with fish research capabilities provides a focal point and catalyst to promote and enhance this cooperation. If built, this vessel would likely do research for academics, NMFS and studies involving cooperative efforts for both groups.

The ALPHA HELIX Replacement SMR Committee is made up of users representing all research disciplines. Their work in developing a set of SMRs is nearly complete and should be available should funds be identified to build a ship to replace HELIX.

The subcommittee developing SMRs for an east coast coastal vessel is also near completion of its efforts. Their concerns have not included fisheries issues but the need to have a relatively shallow draft ship with facilities for multi-disciplinary programs. Coastal oceanography has received increased funding attention in recent years. In addition, the need for synoptic as well as time series studies has become more evident. These issues drive ship designs.
 
 

Future Fleet planning is expected to follow the patterns of the past. As ships of the UNOLS Fleet near their life cycle new platforms capable of responding to the ever changing science requirements will be planned. The use of the updated Fleet Improvement Plan and the Science Mission Requirements will provide the template for future facilities designs.
 
 

The UNOLS Fleet has been remarkably effective in keeping abreast of accommodating modern research by providing new and updated platforms to perform the needed studies. The health of the fleet is reflected in the standards being set with the new ships replacing older ones. Both the NOAA and NAVO Fleets have drawn from the UNOLS SMRs in their new ship designs. The key ingredient in this process is the involvement of the user, the sea going scientists.
 
 
 

[1] Bash, J. F., "University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System Research Fleet" , Sea Technology, June 1998.

[2] UNOLS Advisory Council "First Annual Report" July 1972
 

Figure Captions:

1. UNOLS Member Institutions and Map.

2. UNOLS Fleet History