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UNOLS at AGU
News from DESSC
M. Purdy Delivers Keynote Address
RVOC Annual Meeting
R/V Safety Standards Update
RVTEC Annual Meeting
FIC Updates
Ship Scheduling Review
Agency News
OCEANS 96
SeaNet at AGU
POLAR DUKE Replacement
UNOLS Elections & Committees
On the Lighter Side
UNOLS Calendar
(December 11-15, 1995)
This year's fall AGU Conference is right around the corner and we would like to remind you to please visit our UNOLS Booth (#528). Along with poster displays and literature, the booth will feature our UNOLS Home Page. Last year at this time, UNOLS had just begun working with University of Delaware's OCEANIC Office to post the UNOLS Ship Schedules on the World Wide Web. Since that time we have forged ahead to create our own Home Page where you can link to ship schedules, UNOLS meeting minutes, and newsletters. We are now in the process of taking the next step in improving out electronic capabilities and would love your input.
UNOLS is developing a procedure to allow electronic submissions of ship time request forms that would eventually replace the need for the NSF Form 831. The electronic filing of ship time requests will not only make the process more efficient but should assist in providing an archival database. Robert Hinton, Marine Superintendent at the University of Washington, has made terrific progress in developing a ship time request form for use with Netscape. UNOLS plans to take features of his form combined with input from OCEANIC to develop a universal form which will be housed on the UNOLS home page. At our booth, we will have a demonstration ship time request form on Netscape. We would appreciate any comments that you could contribute towards its development. So please drop in at Booth 528.
UNOLS DEEP SUBMERGENCE SCIENCE COMMITTEE
will hold their ANNUAL PLANNING MEETING
Sunday, December 10, 1995
Room 220, Moscone Center, San Francisco, CA
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The Deep Submergence Science Committee (DESSC) will hold their Annual Planning Meeting on Sunday, December 10th immediately preceding the AGU Fall Conference. The community is invited to attend to learn more about the status and long range plans for ALVIN, its support platform, and ROVs.
by Michael Perfit, DESSC Chair
I am pleased to report on the progress that has been made in finalizing the plans for a new UNOLS deep submergence support ship for the oceanographic community. Over the past few months (mostly since the last newsletter) the funding agencies, WHOI, NAVSEA, and DESSC representatives have been working feverishly to decide on the costs, funding arrangements and construction plans for the ship that will serve as the platform for ALVIN and ROV's. The deliberations and negotiations between the funding agencies, NAVSEA, WHOI and Halter Marine (the contractor) have taken a long time but some substantial progress and agreements have been made toward converting the new ATLANTIS [AGOR-25] to serve as the new deep submergence support ship. From the WHOI operators perspective, the design and capabilities of ATLANTIS are very good and represent significant improvements to the existing facilities on the ATLANTIS-II, or those originally planned for KNORR. Cost sharing arrangements are still being addressed by the funding agencies and WHOI.
The schedule for delivery and shakedown of ATLANTIS is being worked out by the agencies, WHOI and the contractor in order to minimize disruptions to the tentative 1996 deep submergence schedules and science expeditions planned for the near future. I am confident that we will have more news by the next DESSC meeting in December at which time I plan to initiate long-range planning for ALVIN and ROV deep submergence science. At this time, DESSC, the community, and operators must work together to seek funds for further instrument development and upgrades to ALVIN (see the September UNOLS NEWS) particularly during its planned overhaul to begin in late 1996. In the longer term, however, it is important to recognize that only so much can be done to make ALVIN more productive as it incorporates improvements in deep ocean technology and material sciences. In the final analysis, while the National Facility continues to try to upgrade and increase the technical capabilities of ALVIN, the submersible is constrained by a 30 year old design that is fundamentally limiting payload, power, maneuverability and observational capabilities. It is timely that DESSC and the user community begin to define what deep submergence capabilities are needed for the 21st century.
Future exploration will take us to more remote areas some of which are located in hostile latitudes. It seems clear that the number of deep submergence assets must increase in the future, and that the capabilities of these systems must retain versatility in order to ensure our scientific success. With a new support ship and the fly-away capabilities of ROV/AUV systems, we will be able to investigate processes that operate at scales of thousands of kilometers. At the same time, there are many mature scientific questions that can only be understood by establishing long term observatories of an interdisciplinary nature designed to explore the temporal evolution of abyssal environments. We will need both manned and unmanned vehicles in the deep sea in order to establish and develop such ocean floor observatories.
Now is the time for the oceanographic community, concerned Federal agencies, and the operators of the deep submergence facilities to work together to formulate a national plan for the operation of this country's deep submergence assets. Such a plan should define the role of our National Facility; identify the number of other deep submergence centers that are needed, and how these centers can most effectively be integrated to serve our research needs. In addition, we must develop a mechanism that provides a stable funding base for the centers, thus insuring operational and developmental continuity of both assets and personnel. With the uncertainties of the new support ship hopefully behind us, DESSC plans to initiate discussions with the Federal agencies and other deep submergence centers in the coming year to address some of the issues outlined above.
Dr. Michael Purdy, the new Director of Ocean Sciences Division at the National Science Foundation, provided this year's keynote address at the UNOLS Annual Meeting. For the past 20 years Dr. Purdy has been with the Seismology Group at WHOI. He recently assumed his new position at NSF.
As a sea-going scientist, Dr. Purdy said he understands that ocean research relies on the capability of the Fleet. He is aware of the university pride associated with operating a research vessel and that competition among the operators is good for the fleet. Maintaining the fleet is essential in continuing U.S. supremacy in Ocean Sciences. The UNOLS mode of operations is working and healthy.
Dr. Purdy explained that times ahead will be difficult with reductions in budgets and increased funding pressure on NSF. The health of Ocean Sciences will depend heavily on the federal agencies. He emphasized that this is a time in which we must all work together. There must be mutual trust and understanding. Interagency cooperation is critical and will be a high priority for Mike as he takes on his new role at NSF.
by Michael Prince, RVOC Chair
Scripps Institution of Oceanography hosted the annual meeting of the Research Vessel Operators' Committee in San Diego during the last week of October. The meeting facilities and all arrangements for the meeting were outstanding for which I would like to thank the staff at the Scripps Marine Facility and Scheduling Office. The meeting once again provided an excellent opportunity for day to day managers of the UNOLS fleet to discuss common issues and help each other solve common problems. Through reports from the various subcommittees, fellow operators and the agency representatives we gain an overall view of the status of our fleet. In addition, research vessel operators from Canada, the United Kingdom, Chile, Mexico and NATO gave us a world wide perspective. Reports from Maritime Health Services, Captain George Ireland and Dennis Nixon provided updates on our medical services contract, changes in Coast Guard and International regulations, and the state of marine insurance and liability issues.
On Wednesday, we met at the Scripps Marine Facility where we learned about the uses of a home page on the world wide web by reviewing what the University of Washington and Scripps have done with theirs and what the UNOLS office has started on their home page. We broke up into smaller work groups and tackled several issues, including a review of post cruise reports, safety and training issues, standard physical requirement for mariners, and a white paper on the benefits and value of the UNOLS fleet. In the afternoon we visited the SWATH Ocean shipyard and toured the MBARI SWATH WESTERN FLYER which is nearing completion.
Thursday morning Bill Young of ABS gave a presentation on ISO 9002 and ISM standards. The ISO 9002 are a set of voluntary standards that assure others that your organization adheres to an internationally recognized and verified set of quality management standards. The ISM are a set of standards for the management of ships and fleets of ships to ensure safety and pollution prevention. The ISM standards are set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and will be mandatory for some of our larger vessels under Coast Guard regulations by 1998. As with many regulations that are mandatory for the larger members of our fleet the RVOC will examine to what extent these should and can be applied to the rest of the UNOLS fleet.
The meeting concluded with the usual round table meeting of marine superintendents discussing a wide range of specific issues. A full report of the meeting and pending action items will be published in the minutes within the next month or two. Next year's meeting will be hosted by the Florida Institute for Oceanography in St. Petersburg, Florida. The 1997 meeting will be hosted by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution in Panama.
Research Vessel Safety Standards Update
Over the past two years, the RVOC Safety Committee has been reviewing the Research Vessel Safety Standards (RVSS). A review is required every three years. The committee has proposed a number of changes which mostly reflect regulatory updates that have come into effect in the past three years. Other changes include corrections to wording. An appendix has been added which provides guidelines for chartering non-institutional vessels by UNOLS institutions. All changes have been approved by RVOC and the UNOLS Council. The updated standards are expected to be available for distribution in the near future.
RVTEC's annual meeting was hosted this year by Moss Landing Marine Lab in Monterey, CA on 16-18 October. The first day of the meeting addressed general business along with a review of UNOLS issues pertinent to RVTEC. These included safety awareness, design criteria and use of shipping containers as laboratories, and a review of UNOLS forms. Subcommittee reports on data standards and technician/equipment databases were provided by Marc Willis and Tom Wilson, respectfully. Tom also addressed creating home pages on the World Wide Web along with searchable data bases. A presentation on NOAA's NODDS program was provided. The second day of the meeting included an update on SeaNet by Andy Maffei and Rex Buddenberg. This was followed by a tour of MBARI's facilities and POINT SUR. A technical session on dissolved oxygen was provided.
The third meeting day included a CHIRP inter-comparison update, and presentations on URI's gyrocompass interface and RSMAS's salinometer interface. Long range instrumentation planning was discussed. Tim Pfeiffer announced that he would be stepping down as Vice Chair. RVTEC nominated Marc Willis to serve as the new Vice Chair. Next year's meeting will be held at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution. Praise goes out to Moss Landing, especially Rick Muller, for hosting this year's RVTEC meeting.
by Chris Mooers, FIC Chair
1. Soon, FIC will begin preparing the revised (due in 1997) Fleet Improvement Plan (FIP). This task, always challenging, will be especially so with all the uncertainities in future federal funding (and even missions) that now exist; however, we must proceed. Results from the current analysis of coastal ocean R&D program opportunities, on one hand, and of coastal ocean facilities needs, on the other hand, will certainly exert a strong influence on the next FIP. To this end, FIC is hopeful that several regional workshops on coastal ocean facilities needs will be held over the course of the next year. The regional R/V consortia have been encouraged to take the lead in organizing such workshops. A FIC committee focused on the coastal ocean will be pleased to work with the workshop planners.
2. Responses have been received from several federal agencies regarding their future coastal ocean R&D programs; however, we have yet to hear from three key agencies, who will be pursued with renewed vigor. This information is needed for the "supply side" of the equation for updating the FIP.
3. At the recent UNOLS Council Meeting, RVTEC and FIC were tasked to prepare a progressive plan for the upgrading of shipboard instrumentation, etc. The plan will be driven by researchers' needs, as tempered by technologists' estimates of what is feasible and affordable. The results of such facilities planning will probably be reflected in the next FIP.
The annual Ship Scheduling Meeting and Review was held on 11 September at the National Science Foundation. The purpose of the meeting was to ensure all funded science was assigned to the ship(s) that could provide the most efficient and effective platform. Along with reviews of the ship schedules, the meeting included a demonstration by Robert Hinton on how to access his ship time request form using Netscape.
On the whole, proposal pressure for 1996 is low. Scheduling the large ships proposed the greatest challenge. All the large ships need to return home from the southern oceans in 1996. Additionally, they were faced with a number of scheduling constraints: transferring OBS's, scientific party boarding and coordination with the scheduling demands of the fiber optic systems. The schedulers did a good job at economizing on transit times and accommodating science programs.
The schedules of the west coast intermediate ships were coordinated largely due to their mid-life and overhaul plans. The intermediate ship schedules in the northeast Atlantic are closely coordinated due to a number of large programs. These include DOE work on the global ocean program, ONR's Coastal Mixing and Optics program and the NSF/NOAA GLOBEC program. As a Class, the intermediates, with the exception of SEWARD JOHNSON, will not be operating to their optimum capacity. There is concern over the status of federal funding in 1996, particularly NOAA/NURP funding. A few ships will depend heavily on NOAA/NURP work.
A brief summary of individual ship operations is provided below:
ALPHA HELIX - University of Alaska: A full schedule of 174 days has been presented for ALPHA HELIX, however, only 51 of these days are presently funded. Funding results for the OPP work will not be known until after the first of the year and this schedule could change significantly. The funded work is in Prince William Sound and the Chuckchi Sea.
BARNES - University of Washington: A modest schedule of about 100 days appears likely. Operations will be in Puget Sound and the Columbia River.
BLUE FIN - Skidaway: BLUE FIN will have a modest schedule of about 100 days. Work will be off of Savannah, Georgia.
CALANUS - University of Miami, RSMAS: Three cruises in the Bahamas, totaling 24 days, are the only funded cruises scheduled on CALANUS. The 48 days of ONR work has not yet been proposed. There are 15 additional days of proposed work scheduled.
CAPE HATTERAS - Duke/UNC: CAPE HATTERAS will be in lay-up in 1996.
CAPE HENLOPEN - University of Delaware: A very full schedule of 206 days has been presented for CAPE HENLOPEN. Work is planned for Chesapeake, Delaware Bay and along the mid-Atlantic coast.
LAURENTIAN - University of Michigan: A modest 58 day schedule in the Great Lakes is planned for LAURENTIAN. Additional work can be accommodated.
LONGHORN - University of Texas: A modest 100 days of work in the Gulf of Mexico is scheduled for LONGHORN.
PELICAN - LUMCON: PELICAN has 123 scheduled days in the Gulf of Mexico of which 56 are presently funded.
POINT SUR - Moss Landing Marine Laboratories: The POINT SUR schedule is constructed to permit the first three months of the year to be open. This time coupled with the time in December 1995 has been set aside for an extended overhaul period. A modest schedule of 142 days remains, however, 66 of these days are pending funding decisions. Most work will take place off Central California and Monterey Bay.
ROBERT GORDON SPROUL - Scripps: A healthy schedule of 149 days has been presented for SPROUL with 29 of these days in the pending category. With the exception of one cruise to the Columbia River, all operations are off of California.
SEA DIVER - Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution: SEA DIVER has presented a modest schedule of 116 days of which 81 days are presently funded. Work is scheduled for the Atlantic, Bahamas and the Caribbean.
WEATHERBIRD II - Bermuda Biological Station: A shipyard period is planned in January and 194 operating days for the year. With the exception of one cruise to the Virginia Coast, all work is planned around Bermuda.
EDWIN LINK - Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution: EDWIN LINK's schedule is primarily dependent on NOAA, Smithsonian and private funding. Operations will span the globe with work in the Bahamas, Gulf of Maine, East Coast, Gulf of Mexico and New Zealand. Of the 239 days scheduled, 184 days are still pending.
ENDEAVOR - University of Rhode Island: ENDEAVOR's schedule has been integrated with that of OCEANUS and SEWARD JOHNSON. Work is planned for George's Bank, mid-Atlantic Coast and Newfoundland. Of the 205 days scheduled 30 are pending.
GYRE - Texas A & M University: A 14 day cruise in the Gulf of Mexico is the only federal work presently on the GYRE schedule.
COLUMBUS ISELIN - University of Miami: COLUMBUS ISELIN will remain out of service.
NEW HORIZON - Scripps: The schedule of 176 days for NEW HORIZON includes a mid life refit for the ship. Only six of these days are still in the pending category. Operations will be spread out from Juan de Fuca, Mexico to Hawaii.
OCEANUS - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: The OCEANUS schedule presents a solid but light 211 days. This schedule has been closely integrated with that of ENDEAVOR and SEWARD JOHNSON combining the NSF/GLOBEC, ONR/Coastal Ocean Mixing & Optics and DOE Ocean Margins programs. Work is planned for George's Bank, mid-Atlantic Coast and the Sargasso Sea.
SEWARD JOHNSON - Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution: The SEWARD JOHNSON 302 day schedule is totally funded and is driven by work in the southern and mid-Atlantic.
WECOMA - Oregon State University: A light 180 day schedule has been posted for WECOMA. This includes a joint operation with the French off Mexico's coast. Other areas of work include operations off of California and Oregon coasts and operations on Juan de Fuca Ridge.
ATLANTIS II - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: ATLANTIS II presently has 170 days and 101 dives for ALVIN scheduled. Seventy-five of these days are funded. This schedule is concentrated in the first two thirds of the year after which ATLANTIS II will stand down. Operation areas include the California Coast, Mexican coast, Guaymas Basin, the East Pacific Rise, Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the North East Coast.
EWING - Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory: EWING will have a solid 311 day schedule for 1996. Operations are planned in the South Pacific and North Atlantic.
KNORR - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: A schedule of 258 days has been presented for KNORR. Thirty-five of these days are still pending. This schedule starts in the Indian Ocean and ends at WHOI.
MELVILLE - Scripps: MELVILLE will start the year in the Indian Ocean and work back to San Diego where it will stand down for approximately two months. The present schedule calls for the ship to depart San Diego in early September for work in the South Pacific. Approximately 300 days are scheduled.
MOANA WAVE - University of Hawaii: MOANA WAVE's schedule is centered around the HOTS work off Hawaii with the exception of the Taylor cruise in the South Pacific. Of the 165 days scheduled, 127 days are funded.
ROGER REVELLE - Scripps: REVELLE will be going through delivery and outfitting from January to the end of September 1996. After this period it has a series of short University of California funded cruises and one short ONR cruise.
THOMPSON - University of Washington: THOMPSON will schedule 74 days of State time in its 248 day schedule for 1996. The ship will start the year in the Indian Ocean and work its way back to the Pacific northwest. A dry dock is scheduled for July. THOMPSON will be positioned ARGO/JASON work in the Juan de Fuca area.
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION NSF is anticipating a very tight budget for 1996. The final numbers will not be known until the Senate/House conference process has been completed. NSF is expecting to be told to reduce the Foundation by one directorate. The tight budget could impact funding of the requested mid-life refits in 1996. In personnel news, Michael Purdy has assumed his new position as Director of Ocean Sciences Division. Lisa Rom is on professional development leave at U C Berkeley. She will be working 50% of her time for the NSF technician program. Mick Devin, a Sea Grant Intern, will be the on site contact for the technician program.
OFFICE OF NAVAL RESEARCH - ONR Research Facilities Program is anticipating level funding for 1996. This spring, the CNO Executive Board made a series of proclamations with regard to oceanography. The CEB recognized that the Navy has a fundamental interest in the ocean and that the Navy will continue to emphasize support for ocean research. Although the Navy has been emphasizing coastal science, they do not want to ignore blue water oceanography. Additionally, they will not allow the funding for ONR ocean science to fall below the 1996 baseline funding. Additional initiatives are still being worked out, however, they are expected to include the revitalization of the Navy Chairs.
To encourage more ONR ship use, the algorithm within ONR for funding ship time has been modified. In the past, ONR science programs funded 45 percent of the ship time costs and Research Facilities funded 55 percent. The new formula calls for Research Facilities to fund 80 percent of the cost and science to fund the remaining 20 percent. This is intended to lessen the burden on science budgets.
In personnel news, Sujata Millick was hired in the spring to fill the Research Facilities position left vacant by Keith Kaulum. She was brought on board full time on 10 November. Jim Andrews will be leaving ONR for a position at the Pentagon.
NATIONAL OCEANIC & ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA) Construction of the NOAA AGOR, named RESEARCHER, is on schedule and proceeding well. Delivery is expected in August 1997. Conversion of a U.S. Navy T-AGOS ship to support oceanographic mooring operations and related research is underway, with delivery scheduled in early spring, 1996. Home port for this ship will be Honolulu, and the ship will be named Kaimimoana. Also underway are repairs to extend (RTE) the life of the fisheries research vessel DELAWARE II. Excluding the permanently inactive ships listed above NOAA's fleet includes a total of 18 ships: the T-AGOS ship now in conversion, two T-AGOS ships that are temporarily inactive, plus fifteen other active ships.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DOE) - DOE is currently involved in two ocean programs. Their CO2 survey includes cooperation with NSF and NOAA and internationally through JGOFS and WOCE. Although there are two more years in the CO2 program DOE has zero budget to support their part. DOE is planning an extensive Ocean Margins Program which includes 14 UNOLS cruises including scientists from about 30 institutions. The funding of this program is firm for 1995 and 1996. Beyond this time the funding is not clear.
OCEANOGRAPHER OF THE NAVY (OON) - The Navy's modernization program is winding down. The program will stabilize out at eight survey ships. Two TAGS ships (60 and 61) have been delivered but are not operating as a result of a transformer problem. The third ship is ready for delivery and the keel for the fourth has been laid. OON may receive the USNS WATERS. USNS WATERS, built as a cable layer, if transferred to the OON would be converted to a survey ship. Cost of conversion is estimated at $7M. NAVOCEANO is hoping for modest use of UNOLS ships in 1996 to supplement the activities of their core ships.
UNITED STATES COAST GUARD (USCG) - The USCG budget was to decline 20% over the next four years, however, they expect 100% funding in 1996 for operating, maintenance, acquisition and construction funds for the Polar Icebreakers. No science missions have been requested for 1995 or 1996. A mission has been proposed for 1997.
HEALY is on track for construction starting next year. HEALY's home port has not yet been decided. Ports under consideration include Boston, Norfolk and Charleston on the east coast and Seattle on the west coast. A shore side staff of 65-70 will be in support of HEALY. The cost for science use of HEALY is estimated at $16-20K per day.
UNITED STATES GEOLOGIC SURVEY (USGS) A small reduction is expected for the 1996 USGS budget. The Survey is going through a major internal reorganization which includes a 30% reduction in personnel. They will be placing more emphasis on coastal and near shore studies. USGS operates three small coastal vessels. They are located at Puget Sound, UC Santa Cruz and USF, St Petersburg. POWELL has been transferred to TAMU. The TAGOS vessel, acquired from the Navy, is now in the Marshall Islands operating for the Army on a three year charter agreement. USGS anticipates modest use of UNOLS Intermediate and smaller size vessels in the future.
The OCEANS '96 conference will be held at the Boward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida 23-26 September 1996. The theme of the conference will be The Coastal Oceans -Prospects For the 21st Century. Chris Mooers, UNOLS Fleet Improvement Committee Chair, is the Technical Program Co-Chair for the conference.
UNOLS would like to have a strong presence at the conference and will be encouraging papers published for presentation. Jack Bash is the Chair of the MTS Oceanographic Ship Committee. He will be a session chair for Oceanographic Ships and is gearing up for enough papers to occupy several sessions. This would be an excellent forum to present ideas and plans for coastal vessels that are being considered at various institutions throughout the community.
Ellen Kappel of Joint Oceanographic Institutions Inc. and Andy Maffei of WHOI are co-chairing a special session at the American Geophysical Union Meeting (San Francisco, December 11-15). The session is intended to address technologies, experiments, and research projects using communications links that currently do, or might in the future, be used for routine, integrated, standards-based data communications to and from remote sites such as buoys, ships, ice camps, seismic networks, moored instrument packages, weather stations, and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV's). The SeaNet project (http://www.seanet.int/SeaNet/) is an example of a collaborative initiative interested in encouraging the development of such an infrastructure (hardware, software, special applications and supporting staff) and learning from one another of technologies that might be employed towards that end. SeaNet is a joint effort of CORE and JOI and is managed by Dr. Ellen Kappel.
This fall, the first SeaNet system is being demonstrated aboard the University of Washington's R/V THOMPSON in support of a Joint Global Ocean Flux Study experiment (JGOFS) in the Arabian Sea. The SeaNet system will allow JGOFS scientists aboard the ship to have the option of Internet access via a COMSAT INMARSAT connection. Standard TCP/IP sessions will be implemented over a 64 kilobit per second link. A SeaNet type I high-speed Shipboard Communications Node (SCN) has been installed on THOMPSON along with a type B (digital) INMARSAT Ship Earth Station to provide IP routing, link control, monitoring and accounting functions. Results of this Arabian Sea demonstration will be presented as part of the SeaNet group's AGU poster (Tuesday morning of AGU), and a demonstration of the SeaNet system will be available at the JOI booth.
POLAR DUKE Replacement is Named
At the UNOLS Council's September meeting, Al Sutherland, from the NSF Office of Polar Programs, provided a presentation on the acquisition of the replacement ship for POLAR DUKE. POLAR DUKE's contract is coming to an end. Congress dictated that the ship's replacement would be required to be U.S. Flagged. This did not rule out re-contracting POLAR DUKE, if ship went through the re-flagging process. Three competitors offered bids. Edison Chouest Offshore was selected on 18 April based both on technical and price issues. The new vessel will be delivered in June 1997 in Louisiana. The name of the ship will be L. M. GOULD, named after a famous Antarctic explorer, educator and university president.
Dr. Gould was second in command of Adm. Richard E. Byrd's first expedition to Antarctica from 1928 to 1930. In 1930 he and his companions claimed an unexplored sector of Antarctica for the United States However, 25 years later Dr. Gould would lead the American effort to make that continent international. For many years Dr. Gould was chairman of the Committee on Polar Research of the National Academy of Sciences. He headed the Special Committee on Antarctic Research, an international body that coordinates efforts there.
The vessel GOULD will be built to ABS-A1 class. It will be 230 feet LOA with a beam of 46 feet and a draft of 18 feet. The gross tonnage will be 1599 tons. A variable pitch propeller with kort nozzle will be driven by a 4200 BHP engine. The ship will have accommodations for 44 persons. A planned crew of 14 would permit 30 scientific berths. The ship is expected to be operated similar to POLAR DUKE with both research and supply being its mission. Living areas and labs will be located above the water (ice) line. The contract with Edison Chouest is for a five year term with a ten year option at $4.5M to $5M per year. An estimated operating day rate of $17.5 - 18 K is expected.
Elections for two UNOLS Council positions were held at the Annual Meeting in September. Dick Pittenger, Associate Director for Marine Operations at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, was re-elected to the Council Member At-large position. Bob Wall, Director of the Center for Marine Studies and Sea Grant College Program at the University of Maine, was re-elected as Council Member from a UNOLS Non-operator institution. Both positions are three year terms.
The following individuals have been appointed to the Fleet Improvement Committee: Larry Atkinson of ODU will replace Don Wright. Bess Ward of UCSC is replacing Tom Royer and Tom Weingartner of University of Alaska will replace Ken Johnson. Cindy Van Dover, West Coast Science Director for NURP, and J.C. Sempere, a geophysicist from University of Washington with expertise in remote sensing and deep towed vehicles were recently appointed to DESSC.
The full membership of the UNOLS Council and Committees is as follows:
UNOLS COUNCIL (UC)
Kenneth Johnson, MLML, (Chair)
Peter Betzer, U South Florida, (V-Chair)
Dennis E. Hayes, L-DEO
Bob Knox, SIO
David Karl, U Hawaii
Thomas C. Royer, U Alaska
Cindy Lee, SUNY
Richard Pittenger, WHOI
Robert Wall, U Maine
Richard Findley, U Miami, (Chair, RVTEC)
Mike Perfit, U Florida (Chair, DESSC)
Christopher Mooers, U Miami (Chair, FIC)
Don Moller, WHOI, (Chair, Ship Scheduling)
Michael Prince, MLML, (Chair, RVOC)
.
DEEP SUBMERGENCE SCIENCE COMMITTEE (DESSC)
Mike Perfit, U Florida (Chair)
James Bellingham, MIT
Robert Collier, Oregon State University
Daniel Fornari, WHOI, (ex-officio)
Hugh Milburn, NOAA
Dan Orange, MBARI
Jean-Christophe Sempere (UWA)
Cindy Van Dover (NURP/UAK)
Carl Wirsen, WHOI
Richard Pittenger, WHOI, (ex-officio)
RESEARCH VESSEL OPERATORS' COMMITTEE (RVOC)
Michael Prince, MLML, (Chair)
Paul Ljunggren, L-DEO, (V-Chair)
FLEET IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE (FIC)
Christopher Mooers, U Miami, (Chair)
Peter Betzer, U South Florida
Suzanne Strom, Western Washington U
Eric Firing, U Hawaii
Robert Detrick, WHOI
Larry Atkinson, ODU
Bess Ward (UCSC)
Tom Weingartner (UAK)
Joseph Coburn, WHOI, (ex-officio)
RESEARCH VESSEL TECHNICAL ENHANCEMENT COMMITTEE (RVTEC)
Richard Findley, U Miami, (Chair)
Tim Pfeiffer, U Delaware, (V-Chair)
SHIP SCHEDULING COMMITTEE
Don Moller, WHOI, (Chair)
Robert Hinton, U Washington, (V-Chair)
Scientists Tie the Knot on UNOLS Cruise
The hurricane punch of the 1996 season in the Atlantic Ocean wasn't enough to dispel the vows of Russell Cuhel and Carmen Aguilar. In a balmy sunset ceremony aboard CAPE HATTERAS (Cruise 1495), the two dedicated themselves to each other and to oceanography on the autumnal equinox at 32o 26'N, 74o 37'W. Officiants included Captain Richard Ogus; Matron of Honor and Chief Scientist Marilyn Fogel; and Best Man and Marine Technician Jonathan Bowden. A spectacular wedding feast was presented by Chief Steward Bob Lipscomb. The couple received a framed photograph of the vessel which was subsequently signed by all on board. Afterwards, Station 5 (Sargasso Sea) was continued.
By Dr. Russell L. Cuhel. Dr. Cuhel is an Associate Scientist, at the Center for Great Lakes Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
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Meeting Dates LocationDESSC 10 Dec San Francisco, CA FIC 5-6 Feb Stennis, MS Council Meeting 8-9 Feb Stennis, MS
I would like to extend a thanks to all who helped contribute information and articles for this issue. Articles for the newsletter are always welcome and encouraged. Copy can be submitted via e-mail, FAX or mail. The next newsletter is planned for March, 1996.
Attn: Annette DeSilva, Editor, UNOLS News
e-mail: unols@gsosun1.gso.uri.edu
FAX: (401)792-6486
Mail: P.O. Box 392, Saunderstown, RI 02874