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Office of Public Relations |
New UD research vessel takes shape |
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The University of Delaware's research fleet, stationed at the College of Marine Studies' Sharp Campus, in Lewes, is about to enter the exciting world of 21st-Century oceanographic vessel technology when its newest research vessel becomes operational next year. The new, 146-foot ship, designed by Bay Marine Inc., in Barrington, R.I., is being built by Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes, Wash. The company has been in business since 1975 and specializes in the construction and repair of steel and aluminum ships, ranging from fishing and recovery vessels to ferries and barges. With an “endurance” or maximum length of time at sea of approximately 20 days and a range of 3,000 nautical miles, the ship will replace the Cape Henlopen, UD's current flagship research vessel that has served the oceanographic research community faithfully for nearly 30 years. Matthew Hawkins, director of marine operations in the College of Marine Studies, said the new vessel is needed to pursue research opportunities made possible by technological advances that have occurred over the past three decades. During that time, the Cape Henlopen has served as an oceangoing research laboratory to more than 30,000 scientists working in the mid-Atlantic region, operating in an area that extends from the Gulf of Maine to Florida, and eastward to Bermuda. The total cost of constructing the vessel and outfitting it with scientific instrumentation and communications systems is estimated at $18.6 million. Funding for the new ship will be provided by the University of Delaware, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Office of Naval Research and private donations. Hawkins said that several features on the new vessel, including its diesel electronic propulsion power plant and a 360-degree thrusting capability, make the ship an ideal research platform for conducting sensitive data-and-specimen-gathering experiments. Contact: Jerry Rhodes, (302) 831-4891 |
