Here are some details and statistics about UD’s new Research Vessel Hugh R. Sharp:

Bay Marine Inc. in Barrington, R.I., began designing the ship in 2002, using significant input from the scientific community.

Construction began at the Dakota Creek Industries shipyard in Anacortes, Wash., in 2004 and was completed in July 2005, when Carolyn Thoroughgood, UD’s vice provost for research and former dean of the marine studies college, christened the vessel.

After sea trials in the waters near Washington, the ship made its way to Delaware, arriving in Lewes on Jan. 11.

The ship is 146 feet long overall, 135 feet at the waterline.

The beam is 32 feet at its widest point.

It can cruise at 11-12 knots and can stay at sea for about 18 days.

It is scheduled to spend about 200 days at sea in the next year, primarily in the Delaware and Chesapeake bays and adjacent coastal waters, with occasional work as far north as the Gulf of Maine, as far south as Florida and as far east as Bermuda.

The propulsion plant is diesel-electric with twin Z-drives, bow thruster and dynamic positioning, making it smooth, quiet and highly maneuverable.

It has 22 permanent berths, 14 of them designated for scientists.

Hallmarks of the new vessel are its clean and quiet operation, which scientists say will be particularly advantageous in studies of fish and marine mammals, as well as in pollution research.
The ship cost $19.4 million, funded by the University, private donations, the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research.