HR: 15:50h
AN: U24A-02    [Abstracts]
TI: Science Experiments from a New Class of Regional Research Vessels
AU: * Collins, C
EM: brickspop@yahoo.com
AF: Department of Oceanography, Naval Postgraduate School, 833 Dyer Road, Rm 328 , Monterey, CA 93943 United States
AU: Prince, M
EM: mike@unols.org
AF: UNOLS Office, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories 8272 Moss Landing Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039 United States
AU: McPhee Shaw, E
EM: eshaw@mlml.calstate.edu
AF: Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, 8272 Moss Landing Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039 United States
AB: Three new Regional Class Research vessels will be constructed later this decade to replace existing Cape class ships that will be more than 30 years old. These regional vessels will be general purpose research vessels capable of coastal oceanography in the broadest sense, supporting research, education and engineering operations in all coastal regions of the continental United States for the next three decades. The new vessels will be distinguished from their predecessors in several important ways: (1) Station keeping and track following ability will be improved by dynamic positioning systems; (2) Performance of acoustic observing systems will be enhanced by quieter machinery, less propeller cavitation and bubble sweep down, and the use of retractable keels to lower acoustic transducers to greater depths; (3) New winch and wire systems, including fiber optic cables, will provide for higher data rates from tethered instruments; (4) Innovative weight handling and over-the-side handling equipment will improve the ability to deploy and recover equipment and with less intervention by seamen and oceanographers; (5) Continuous high-speed communications with shore, other ships, and instruments will improve the execution of scientific experiments by allowing assimilation and modeling of the state of the ocean and improved prediction of future conditions; (6) Improved sea-keeping ability and vessel habitability will permit the new vessels to work in higher sea states and make the oceanographers working on them more effective; (7) Maintenance will be reduced and machinery will be more efficient. Examples of the scientific missions and experiments that these ships will undertake will be given.
DE: 4200 OCEANOGRAPHY: GENERAL
DE: 4219 Continental shelf processes
DE: 4243 Marginal and semienclosed seas
DE: 4279 Upwelling and convergences
DE: 4294 Instruments and techniques
SC: Union [U]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly