From tcj@d.umn.edu Thu Jul 8 11:49:09 1999

Date: Thu, 08 Jul 1999 10:43:54 +0600

From: Tom Johnson <tcj@d.umn.edu>

To: unols@gso.uri.edu

Cc: tcj@d.umn.edu

Subject: UNOLS status for R/V Blue Heron

 

Jack,

Following our phone conversation this morning, I submit the following

addendum to my letter of 2 April 1999 (pasted below), requesting UNOLS

status for the R/V BLUE HERON. Here I specifically address the items in

Paragraph 6 of the UNOLS Guidelines for Requesting/Becoming a UNOLS

Vessel:

a. The University of Minnesota Large Lakes Observaatory operates the

R/V BLUE HERON for research purposes.

b. We have operated the R/V BLUE HERON as a shared use vessel since May

1998. We have operated the R/V NOODIN, a 28 ft. research work boat, as

a shared use facility since I came to LLO in 1994.

c. Our projected use of the R/V BLUE HERON for the coming year (April -

December 2000) is: NSF-KITES (Ralph et al.) - 45 days (f); NSF-OCE

(Sterner-Brown) - 15 days (p); MN Sea Grant (Wattrus, Johnson, Brown) -

10 days (f); Minnesota State (Sterner, McManus) - 12 days (f); Univ. MN

(education) - 10 days (f); NSF LTER (Johnson, Zhou) - 35 days (p); NOAA

- NURP (Wattrus) - 10 days (s). Where f=funded, p = pending, and s =

proposal to be submitted. These total 77 days funded, 40 days pending,

and 10 days to be proposed. We anticipate more days to be proposed to

NURP, Sea Grant and the National Research Council in the UK. The KITES

cruises carry PI's from WHOI, Michigan Tech, and the University of

Washington in addition to the University of Minnesota. While the total

number of days is small compared to large oceanographic research

vessels, we consider 100 days per year to be a succesful operating

schedule given the seasonality of our region and the size of our crew.

In 1999 we have 103 funded operating days. We would prefer to not

exceed 130 days per year.

d. The R/V BLUE HERON succesfully completed a UNOLS safety inspection

on 17, 18 May 1999.

e. The R/V BLUE HERON is capable of operating under UNOLS R/V Safety

Standards, January 1996.

f. The R/V BLUE HERON is and will be available to all federally funded

users.

g. The vessel is and will be maintained to accomodate the needs of the

academic oceanographic programs.

h. We are willing to participate fully in the UNOLS scheduling process.

i. We will submit cruise reports and assessments as UNOLS requires.

j. We will adhere to cost accounting and peformance standards according

to UNOLS uniform procedures.

k. We are capable of requesting the necessary funds to suport operation

of our vessel.

l. Please consider this and the letter of 2 April 1999 as the written

application for UNOLS status.

 

Thomas C. Johnson, Professor and Director

Large Lakes Observatory

University of Minnesota

Duluth, MN 55812

http://www.d.umn.edu/llo

 

 

 

Mr. Jack Bash

UNOLS Office

P. O. Box 392

Saunderstown, RI 02874

 

I am writing to request UNOLS status for the University of Minnesota

research vessel, R/V BLUE HERON. The BLUE HERON is beginning its second

year of operation on Lake Superior, and is being used mostly for

NSF-funded research.

 

Very briefly, the reasons for this request are:

 

1. The University of Minnesota Large Lakes Observatory (LLO) was

established in 1994 and has grown, as a result of a major investment by

the University, to 6 tenure track faculty and a 7th to be hired this

year. Virtually all of these faculty are receiving funding from OCE and

are likely to continue this trend. The Duluth campus has plans to hire

a plankton ecologist and an organic geochemist in addition to the new

LLO hire within the coming year, most likely with Gt. Lakes research

interests. The Twin Cities campus also has two faculty in Ecology who

are funded by OCE.

 

2. The R/V BLUE HERON is a capable research vessel, 87 ft LOA and 195

GWT, outfitted with state-of-the-art instrumentation, including

hull-mounted ADCP and multi-beam sonar. It has a spacious working deck

and laboratories, well laid out for multi disciplinary studies and the

deployment of large instrument arrays. A brochure is enclosed that

provides additional information on the vessel.

 

3. The BLUE HERON is scheduled for a UNOLS inspection on 17, 18 May

1999.

 

4. Acquiring UNOLS status for the BLUE HERON will make her readily

available for NSF funded research, particularly on Lake Superior, when

she is the appropriate vessel to do the job. Without UNOLS status it

can be difficult for scientists to request the BLUE HERON for their

needs because ship time is not automatically provided by the OCE Ship

Operations Program. Some OCE program managers are reluctant to spend

their research funds on ship time.

 

Having spent 10 years (1983-1993) as Director of the Duke/UNC

Oceanographic Consortium, extensively involved with the operation of the

R/V CAPE HATTERAS, I am well aware of the responsibilities of operating

a UNOLS vessel, as well as the fact that UNOLS status carries no

guarantee of support from NSF. I am also well aware of the reluctance

of the UNOLS community to admit new vessels, especially small vessels,

into the UNOLS fleet. I respond to this reluctance with understanding,

but ask the critics to understand that vessels the size of the BLUE

HERON and LAURENTIAN are appropriate for Gt. Lakes operations, and to

realize that the distance between the home ports of these two vessels,

about 700 miles, is comparable to the distance between Cape Hatteras and

Miami or the Gulf of Maine. The next nearest UNOLS vessel is more than

2000 miles away, via a very expensive, slow seaway.

 

I hope that you will allow the BLUE HERON to enter the UNOLS fleet. I

look forward to hearing from you.

 

Sincerely,

 

Thomas C. Johnson

Director and Professor

tcj@d.umn.edu

ph: 218-726-8128

 

cc: E. Dieter