Appendices
12 November 1998
Opening Remarks - The UNOLS Fleet Improvement Committee (FIC) met in the Renaissance Hotel in Baltimore, MD on 12-13 November 1998. FIC Chair, Larry Atkinson, opened the meeting at 9:00 am with introductions and a review of the agenda. The agenda is included as Appendix I and the meeting participant list is provided in Appendix II.
Accept Minutes - The FIC minutes from the November 1997 meeting were accepted as written.
UNOLS Report - Bob Knox, UNOLS Chair, provided a summary of the activities of UNOLS. This has been a year of change that included elections for a new UNOLS Chair, with Ken Johnson's term ending. Ken Johnson had made great progress in building new UNOLS partnerships in response to funding shortfall predictions. Partnerships with NAVO and NOAA have matured and now represent a substantial part of the UNOLS activity. The UNOLS Office will move in the year 2000 as dictated by the Charter. The solicitation process to find a new office is in progress.
NSF is participating in a Fleet Review that is examining the very structure of the UNOLS concept and the way NSF arranges for ship time. The review is in progress and difficult to gauge at this time, however, it is not likely to lead to major perturbations of the system. Its recommendations could well have a positive affect on Fleet operations.
Ship scheduling has continued to be a problem as funding restraints have increased the need for more schedule scrutiny. There is always an effort to balance the scientist’s needs and desires with efficient schedules. A revised scheduling procedure will be tried next year that will delay the posting of schedules until more funding information is available. Conflicts are inevitable as schedulers juggle multiple agency ship needs with competing science programs. EWING took on commercial work in 1998 to fill in a weak schedule. The question continues to be asked as to whether or not UNOLS should maintain the current size fleet or reduce the size to only accommodate the traditional customers of NSF and ONR. It is believed that the larger fleet provides more flexibility and ultimately more cost-effective ships for the academic community. This is an issue that can be addressed by the FIC.
This is an exciting time for oceanography. The oceans are receiving a lot of interest at the highest levels of the Government. The National Oceans Conference was held in Monterey and was attended by the President. The Year of the Ocean has been active in publicizing ocean research. This year the Navy's 6.1 funding support is high. A "Stratton II" study has been recommended.
On the down side, NSF proposal success rates are declining. The question of whether cubicle science is on the rise is being asked. Major assets of the fleet are operating at less than full utilization as demonstrated by the lay-up of KNORR in 1999.
Bob concluded by emphasizing the importance of continuing to nurture and build
partnerships and planning for the Fleet of tomorrow.
Agency Reports
National Science Foundation - Don Heinrichs provided the report for NSF. Dick West retired in October. His work will be divided between Dolly Dieter and Sandy Shor until a new person is hired. The office will be restructured and responsibilities realigned. NSF has concluded that the ship inspection program must be contracted directly by NSF and therefore the current contract will be re-competed. NSF science program managers will be involved in future inspections.
The last meeting for the NSF Academic Fleet Review is scheduled for 2-3 December at the University of Rhode Island. Consultant Bill Humphries will make a presentation on a financial analysis of the Fleet operations. The second day will be spent organizing key points and beginning the report. At the second Fleet Review meeting, the committee examined other fleets including those of NOAA, NAVO, Canada, NERC (UK) and commercial operations to provide a comparison. Recommendations will likely be made on the overall size of the fleet and re-competition of the present ships.
The NSF research budget is up approximately 9% for 1999. There is $22M in the budget for Arctic logistics. Ocean science is anticipating an increase of about 6%. Decisions on the distribution of this increase have not yet been made.
Don provided viewgraphs, Appendix III, which give the results to a survey of the oceanographic community on the UNOLS Fleet and operations. Four concern areas were of identified: 1. Instrument improvements, 2. Technical support, 3. Scheduling (too many scenarios) and 4. Institutional oversight of ship operations. The responses indicated the need for more consistent quality of technical support as well as the need for more technicians. The community is concerned with next generation submersibles, replacements for the intermediate ships and ship requirements for the Great Lakes and estuaries. On the whole, Don noted that everyone is quite pleased with the UNOLS system.
The Division of Ocean Sciences held a “Futures” workshop to look into science for the next ten years. These were Physical Oceanography (APROPOS), Chemical Oceanography (FOCUS), Marine G&G (FOMAGES) and Biological Oceanography (OEUVRE). A small committee headed by Peter Brewer and Ted Moore will be synthesizing these reports. The results of this committee are expected in late 1999 and will include funding priorities. These workshops have been identifying facility needs and UNOLS will need to keep abreast of their results.
Office of Naval Research/Oceanographer of the Navy - Pat Dennis provided the ONR/OON report. The Navy endorses the concept of competition and re-competition of ships. The process has been effective in reducing costs and increasing efficiency. Pat gave examples of the contributions made by institutions in return for being selected as ship operator. The Navy’s research survey fleet is completing its current replacement plan. There had been 12 ships in their fleet and at the end of their modernization program their fleet will consist of eight ships. The final ship, TAG 65 is in the budget. TAG 64, BRUCE HEEZEN, is completing construction and TAG 63, HENSON, has joined the fleet.
In the past ONR provided 55% of the cost of ship time from Facilities while the science programs paid 45%. This has now been changed to 80% Facilities funding. SEA CLIFF has been transferred to WHOI. A study will be funded to see if ALVIN and SEA CLIFF can be married in some way that would enhance the capabilities of deep submergence science. Pat reported that the SCICEX program, where scientists have been taken to the Arctic Ocean in a nuclear submarine, has been very successful. The last cruise in this 5-year program will be conducted in 1999.
The National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) provided $7.5M in 1998 for NAVO’s use of the UNOLS Fleet and data processing. The Navy is very pleased with results of this program. It will continue in 1999 at the same level, however, future funding is unclear. CDR Jim Trees of NAVO will be retiring in the spring.
RADM Jerry Ellis is now the new Oceanographer of the Navy. Rick Spinrad
will relieve Ed Whitman, as OON Technical Director. At ONR, Tim Pfeiffer
will replace Andy Silver.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - Jim
Meehan of NOAA/NMFS provided the NOAA report. NOAA’s National Ocean Service
(NOS) has set up a new office named the Office of Science and Coastal Ocean
Survey headed by Don Scavia. This program has identified a need for highly
capable coastal vessels with shallow draft. There is a new emphasis on
fisheries and fish habitat. There is also an effort to identify what equipment
is needed to enhance fishery studies. Jim commented on R/V BROWN’s capabilities
and reported that a doppler radar that profiles the upper winds.
RADMs Stubblefield and Albright will be retiring in the spring. A selection process is in progress to select their replacements.
United States Coast Guard (USCG) - Jon Berkson provided the
report for the USCG. HEALY is scheduled for delivery on 30 June 1999.
The ship will undergo four testing phases and will be ready for unrestricted
science use in January 2001. POLAR SEA will make an Arctic cruise in 1999
and will be available for Science of Opportunity (SOO). Jon expressed
a need for expeditionary planning in the science community.
FIC Issues:
NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Update - Jim Meehan provided the update on NMFS. An increased effort is needed for fish stock assessment, fish recruitment and fish habitat. More contracted ship time is expected to accomplish these tasks. Congress has allocated funds for the acquisition of new ships. The acquisition program will include four ships over a four-year period. The class will be designated FRV-40. Jim’s viewgraphs are included as Appendix IV. The ships will be required to meet ICES noise specifications. They must be mission capable for hydro-acoustic fish surveys, deep-water trawling, deep-water hydrography, oceanography, fish stock assessment and marine mammal observation. A centerboard with a transducer will be used to reduce ship’s motion and reduce ship’s noise. Deck gear will include trawl winches, a net reel, winches, deck cranes, fish sorting and measurement systems, long-lining gear, winch instrumentation, and a stern gantry. Laboratory spaces will include a catch processing area, wet and dry labs, a clean lab, hydrography lab, acoustic processing lab, computer lab, and bait and specimen freezers. The sonar systems suite will include a scientific sounder, doppler profiler, trawl net monitor, fish finder, bottom profiler, and doppler speed log. DPS is required to hold station for water column work.
The ships will likely require two years of side by side work with the older ships to properly calibrate the systems for fish assessment purposes. Ship models have been constructed and will be tested at David Taylor Facility.
The Requirements Document, which provides the ship's principal characteristics, has been completed. A statement of requirements is in progress. The ships will have 3000 hp engines and are expected to be 2500 GT. There will be 38 bunks. The ships will be government owned, however, the operator and homeport is yet to be determined. NOAA is planning a 270 Days at Sea (DAS) operating year, roughly equivalent to 300 UNOLS operating days. The first ship is to be funded in the 2000 budget with three years for construction.
Comments from Dr. Craig Dorman (ONR) on NOAA Fleet Requirements - Dr. Craig Dorman, Sr. Scientist at Penn State and currently an IPA at ONR, provided his thoughts on NOAA’s fleet requirements. Dr. Dorman had been asked to study NOAA’s FRV construction plans and comment to OMB. Dr. Dorman began by stating that NOAA will need new state of the art Fisheries Research Vessels (FRVs) to fulfill their mission. The FRVs that NOAA has designed are superb, acoustically quiet platforms. Dr. Dorman reported that he feels the academic oceanographic community and the fisheries research community need to work more closely together. He noted that the GLOBEC and FOFCI programs combine oceanography and fisheries very successfully. However, it requires energy and effort for the two communities to successfully interact and develop a strong partnership.
Dr. Dorman reported that he disagrees with NOAA’s requirement for six new FRVs. In his opinion four vessels are sufficient at this time. For example, mammal watching does not require a sophisticated FRV platform and can be supported by other vessels.
Dr. Dorman continued by reporting on NOAA’s non-fishery vessel fleet. He has recommended that as NOAA retires their ships, they should consider chartering to meet their survey needs. Small boats (30 - 60-ft) could accomplish much of their bottom mapping work. NOAA has a sufficient deep-water capability with BROWN and KA'IMIMOANA. They also have two vessels for swallow water work, FERREL and McARTHUR; however, both of these vessels are slated for retirement in 2003. They will need to consider coastal replacements ships. There is a direction towards long term observatory research and facilities with insitu and remote capabilities. NOAA/PMEL is doing more and more atmospheric type work. What will be the role of the fleet to meet these future requirements? An initial report is expected out in the early part of 1999. Dr. Dorman said that any suggestions would be accepted.
There was continued discussion on the coastal oceanography facility needs. NOAA’s mission requirements for coastal vessel replacement have not been defined; however, a sophisticated capability with the ability to accommodate science parties of 10-15 people is envisioned. Dr. Dorman recommends that NOAA work with the academic community in developing these SMRs. A NOAA hydrographic capability is needed, but this can be adopted by an institution. In his opinion, NOAA has the potential to be a much larger partner with the academic community, on the level of NSF and ONR.
Dr. Dorman ended by noting that it is essential that NOAA and UNOLS work together. His fisheries report and hydrographic survey vessel report are both completed. OMB has not released the findings at the time of the FIC meeting.
Bob Knox also emphasized the importance of working with NOAA in their plans to replace their coastal vessel. A meeting is planned with Don Scavia and Dave Evans of NOAA on 30 November and these issues will be discussed.
Dr. Dorman recommended that UNOLS aggressively pursue the FRVs. He feels that that NOAA’s new Alaska and New England FRVs will be fully utilized for fish counting. However, a Gulf FRV could have an oceanographic element.
AGOR-26 Status Report - Robert Hinton provided the status report for AGOR-26. His viewgraphs are included as Appendix V. Congress appropriated $45M for the construction of a SWATH research vessel. The University of Hawaii won the competition to be the operator of this ship. An award was made in May 1998 for a Lockheed Martin/Ingalls team to design and build the ship. The effort includes the active participation of NAVSEA, ONR, University of Hawaii and UNOLS. The $45M appropriation includes approximately $5M for ship equipment. Ingalls construction estimates for the Lockheed Martin design were well in excess of the funds available. Three other shipyards have since indicated an interest in building the ship. These yards will be given a specification package for pricing. By January, we should know if the project would be able to stay within budget and proceed.
The ship design has been evaluated for ways to cut costs. Reducing its size is not considered an option. A ship of less size will not be able to accommodate the operating rigors of the central Pacific. Additionally, there are not much savings in reducing the ship size since the steel costs are not a large portion of the construction budget.
Robert's viewgraphs (Appendix V) include an organization chart, the design operational capabilities, mission description, equipment list, layout drawings, vessel comparison chart, and milestone chart.
Alaska Science Mission Requirements (ASMR) Committee Report - Tom Weingartner provided the report for the Alaska Science Mission Requirements (ASMR) committee. The ASMR committee includes Vera Alexandra (Co-chair), Tom Weingartner (Co-chair), Larry Atkinson, Jon Christensen, George Hunt, Ken Johnson, and Jim Meehan (NOAA). Other contributors to the SMR development include Bob Dinsmore, Joe Coburn, and R. Ellsner.
The requirements call for the vessel to be capable of conducting oceanographic research as well as fisheries oceanography in the North Pacific Ocean including the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea, the Chukchi Sea and the Beaufort Sea. The ship should be capable of operating year-round in open water and in seasonally ice-covered seas. Open water operations require a stable platform. The environmental conditions for the operating area will require that the ship operate in temperatures of 90oF to - 25oF. The vessel should be able to operate in seasonal sea ice of up to three feet thick. A Class III vessel is called for with a size of approximately 180-ft LOA, 1600 gross tons, and a 13-foot draft. The ship should be able to accommodate a science party of 18 to 20 people. The endurance requirements are 45 days (75 days hotel service). The total lab area requirements indicate 2000 square feet; with a main lab of 1000 sq. ft; analytical lab, 200 sq. ft; wet lab, 500 sq. ft; and the electronics/computer lab, 300 sq. ft.
The science features of the SMRs include a general oceanographic capability, a fisheries capability, and ice strengthening. The fisheries capability will require a quiet hullform, acoustically quiet to ICES specifications, and a trawling capability. Crabbing and long-lining from the vessel is not planned. It was noted that the fisheries capability would be useful to the academic community.
The final draft of the Alaska SMRs is near completion. Comments from the FIC have been incorporated.
East Coast Science Mission Requirements (ECSMR) Committee Report - Larry Atkinson provided the status of the ECSMR committee efforts. He began by reporting that there was a big response to the call for volunteers to participate in the East Coast SMR development. The ECSMR Committee includes Larry Atkinson, Chair; Charlie Flagg; Al Hines; Gus Paffenhofer; Clare Reimers; and Mary Scranton. The committee is made up of sea-going scientists, not shipbuilders. As a result, the committee recognized that some of the requirements that they were specifying may not be feasible and would have to be reviewed by someone with naval architecture experience. Joe Coburn was asked to comment on the SMRs and his input is being incorporated.
The committee was asked to review the UNOLS Coastal Workshop report of 1994
as well as other existing SMR documents in developing the new requirements.
The committee recognized the need for the smaller estuary, shallow water vessels;
however, they also see the need for a larger platform for work on the shelf
and slope. The committee focused its attention on establishing requirements
for a vessel to work on the east coast shelf and slope. There are a number
of factors driving the ship size. The interdisciplinary nature of the
research to be conducted will require larger science parties. The rough
sea conditions that are often experienced on the east coast shelf also will
dictate a larger, stable platform. Since most of the work will be restricted
to no further than the slope, the requirements for the ship’s range are somewhat
reduced from the range of the current intermediate ships. The committee
saw the need for an ROV handling capability. An expert in ROV handling
was consulting to define the requirements.
FIC - Directions for the Future:
Review FIC Terms of Reference - Larry Atkinson reviewed Annex IV to the UNOLS Charter, which serves as the Terms of Reference for FIC. It was recognized that an update to the Annex would be needed to more accurately define today's role of FIC. The committee reviewed, Section 2 of Annex IV, which defines the purpose of the committee. It states that the Committee should maintain the currency of a dynamic UNOLS Fleet Improvement Plan. This has proven to be a difficult task. Annex IV requires that the plan include an assessment of the number and mix of ship capabilities needed in the UNOLS fleet. The FIC has found that it can assess the current mix, but trying to accurately predict future facility needs has been not fruitful. Another purpose of FIC stated in Annex IV is for the committee to consider means for acquiring needed vessels, including new construction, modification to existing ships, conversions, private acquisition and leasing. The FIC felt that this should not be the role of the committee and that it might more appropriately fall under the role of the Council. The committee agreed that some of the items in Annex IV are still realistic terms for FIC. These included development of SMRs, conceptual plans, and preliminary ship plans, and development of a schedule for improvement and replacement of vessels so as to assure continuing fleet excellence.
After considerable discussion, it was recommended that a UNOLS Fleet Assessment
Report be generated. This report would replace the traditional Fleet Improvement
Plan. It could help to determine what facility needs are not being met
and what may be needed to meet future oceanographic research needs. It
was recommended that a matrix of ships vs. capabilities and geography be compiled
to help determine needs. The results of NSF’s “Futures” report
could be applied to the assessment. The implementation plan for the Futures
study will address facilities (not just ships). It was suggested that a member
of the Futures committee or Mike Purdy be asked to provide a summary
to FIC at a future meeting. Bob Knox will send a letter to Mike Purdy
at the appropriate time. The FIC assessment report could address the status
of the fleet, what facilities are aging or becoming obsolete, regulatory changes
and their impact, changes to SMRs that are needed, technical support needs,
and any identifiable shortfalls. The committee agreed to think about the
assessment report overnight and readdress the topic later in the meeting.
Wednesday, 13 November, 1998
Ship Construction Project Updates:
R/V SAVANNAH - Contracting for construction of Skidaway's vessel SAVANNAH (BLUE FIN replacement) has been a challenging process. One shipyard bid on the construction package for the ship. The bid was significantly higher than the amount the state of Georgia had planned to fund the project. As a result, the project is in negotiation to resolve the funding shortfall situation.
CALANUS Replacement - Model tests for the CALANUS replacement design have been conducted. The design calls for a 78-foot catamaran. The project will be funded with the proceeds from the sale of ISELIN as well as private donations. Miami is now looking for a shipyard for construction of the vessel.
R/V CONNECTICUT - The University of Connecticut will soon take delivery of their new vessel, CONNECTICUT. They are considering making this ship a UNOLS vessel. The FIC noted that there are quite a few small, local, near-shore type vessels entering or about to enter the picture; BLUE HERON (U.Minn, Duluth), GULF CHALLENGER (UNH), ODU vessel, SAVANNAH (Skidaway), CALANUS replacement (U.Miami), and SUNCOASTER replacement (FIO). The impact of potential additions to the Fleet will need to be evaluated.
WHOI SWATH - Joe Coburn reported on the status of WHOI’s plans to build a SWATH vessel. WHOI hired a naval architecture firm to develop a SWATH design. The vessel design specifications call for:
| LOA: | 105-ft | |
| Beam: | 51-ft | |
| Shallow Draft: | ~9.5-ft | |
| Max. Speed: | 13 knots | |
| Cruise Speed: | 12 knots | |
| Work deck: | 2,000 sq. ft | |
| Endurance: | 15 days | |
| Range: | 1,000 nm |
The final design of the WHOI SWATH is being completed and model tests have been conducted in Norway. Joe showed the test results and noted that the model performed well and exceeded it goals in the sea states indicated for its intended mission. In fact, it is predicted that the SWATH may provide a more stable platform for winter work on Georges Bank than an intermediate ship. This was a driver in the design of this vessel.
The daily operating cost of the ship is expected to be in the range of $2K to $4K with a four-person crew. A variable draft is planned. The design appears to present wet deck slamming in rough seas, but with a variable draft capability, the air gap between the deck and water can be increased to reduce the problem. The final design of the vessel is near completion and construction can begin as soon as funds become available. However, it was noted that shipyards are quite busy at this time and finding an available yard may not be an easy task.
Joe noted that there is a lot of interest for this vessel in New England from Navy labs, Gulf of Maine institutions, USGS, WHOI, etc. There was discussion on the management issues of the SWATH. The FIC discussed whether or not they should encourage WHOI to make this a UNOLS vessel. FIC recognized that the vessel could be a useful asset to the community. The FIC recommended that Larry draft a letter to WHOI indicating that they make the SWATH a UNOLS vessel.
The UNOLS Biennial Review of Seagoing Oceanographic Research Facilities - Larry Atkinson shared his thoughts on FIC’s task to develop an assessment report of oceangoing facilities. He suggested that the assessment report be titled, "The UNOLS Biennial Review of Seagoing Oceanographic Research Facilities." The goal of the report is to inform the research community, funding agencies and operators on the state of sea going research facilities and how these facilities may meet future research needs. The report will:
Possible topics for the report were identified:
1. Trends in facility use: what we have, how we use them, and how long they
will be around, and what is coming.
2. Future Research Requirements: from four reviews: technology, platform, regional
focuses, new modes (returning to vents).
Possible sub topics and chapters for the report might include:
General Business:
Recap of FIC Action Items:
Long Range FIC Agenda Items - The FIC determined that many of their long-range agenda items have been taken over by events. The FIC will devote their attention to drafting the facilities assessment report. This could become a living document.
They discussed the time schedule for developing the assessment report. The results of the NSF Fleet Review should be ready in early 1999 and the Futures report should be ready in the next couple of months. The results of both of these studies would be useful in developing the assessment report. In January, Larry will post the assessment topics with a sentence explaining each on the OMNET, Sciencenet bulletin board. The FIC will then have an opportunity to comment on the outline and sign-up for topics that they would like to address. An announcement will be sent to the community asking for volunteers to contribute to the writing of the report.
Science Mission Requirements (SMR) - The final draft of the Alaska SMRs will be sent electronically to the FIC and then to the Council for endorsement. The East Coast SMRs will go through the same process when ready.
FIC Membership Terms - There are two vacancies on the FIC. It was decided to wait until the outline of the assessment report was available before filling these positions. We will then send a letter to the list of past volunteers to let them know what the committee is involved with. We can also ask for additional volunteers through the UNOLS Newsletter.
Schedule of Next Meeting - It was suggested that the next meeting of the FIC should be held at the shipyard selected for construction of the AGOR 26 SWATH. Another possibility would be to visit the MBARI SWATH. If possible a short cruise to fully experience the SWATH capabilities would be useful.