Ship Operations

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0074545McDuffThe University of Washington will operate the R/Vs Thomas G. Thompson and Clifford A. Barnes during 2000 as a general oceanographic research vessels in support of NSF-supported research projects.The Thompson is a 274 ft. vessel, constructed in 1991, and is owned by the Office of Naval Research and is operated by The University of Washington. The vessel is scheduled for a total of 223 operational days during 2000, of which 105 days are in support of NSF-supported investigators. The remaining cruises will support NASA, ONR, NOAA, State and private projects. The projects scheduled on the Thompson represent several oceanographic disciplines and will fully utilize the capabilities of the vessel. Operations in 2000 will take place mainly along the Pacific Coast, Mexico, and near Hawaii. The Thompson will support system trials of the ONR PROD submersible drilling system. Scheduling for the Thompson has been especially difficult as a result of the uncertainty of available funds from NOAA for the GLOBEC cruises. The GLOBEC cruise off the West Coast from North California to the Straits of the Juan de Fuca Ridge system is currently scheduled on the Thompson from mid-May through June. The Thompson will also support the JASON ROV for two cruises. New berthing spaces will be installed during shipyard time in February. The Thompson will be in port from early October through December.The Barnes is a 65.5 ft. vessel, constructed in 1966, and is owned by NSF and is operated by The University of Washington. The vessel is scheduled for a total of 99 operational days during 2000, of which 26 days are in support of NSF-supported investigators. The remaining cruises will support ONR, NOAA, EPA, State and private projects. The projects scheduled on the Barnes represent several oceanographic disciplines, including chemical and biological oceanography, and will fully utilize the capabilities of the vessel. Operations in 2000 will take place locally in the coastal waters of Washington and Oregon.The R/Vs Thomas G. Thompson and Clifford A. Barnes are part of a fleet of ships used by the National Science Foundation in support of marine science research. Most oceanographic projects require highly specialized equipment to be permanently installed on the vessels, thus the necessity for specialized ships. These vessels do not operate in the same mode as general cargo/fishing vessels. As a result, NSF supports the operation of a variety of ships specifically dedicated to oceanographic research that are operated by universities and institutions around the country.***