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Nathaniel B. Palmer, is a first-rate platform for global change studies, including biological, oceanographic, geological, and geophysical components. It can operate safely year-round in waters that often are stormy or covered with sea ice. It accommodates 37 scientists, has a crew of 22, and is capable of 75-day missions.
The ship is named the Nathaniel B. Palmer to commemorate the American credited with first seeing Antarctica. Nathaniel Brown Palmer, then 21 years old, commanded the 14-meter sloop Hero, which on 16 and 17 November 1820 entered Orleans Strait and came very close to the Antarctic Peninsula at about 63' 45" S.
above information from the
National Science Foundation web site.
page header photo above, and information below, courtesy of: Raytheon Polar Services Co. |
| Vessel Ownership | ||||
| Vessel name: | R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer | |||
| Vessel nationality: | United States | |||
| Vessel owner: | Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) | |||
| Vessel operator: | Raytheon Polar Services Company | |||
| Vessel web page: | http://www.polar.org/science/marine/nbp/ | |||
| Vessel Activities and Operating Areas | ||||
| Vessel's main activity: | The research vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer usually operates in the Southern Hemisphere for the U.S. Antarctic Program, which is managed by the National Science Foundation (NSF). But in the summer of 2003, a team of NSF-funded Arctic researchers used it as a platform to map the distribution of salinity, temperature, nutrients, and other characteristics over the outer shelf to deep basin region of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas off northern Alaska. | |||
| Primary Logistics Provider | ||||
| Organization: | Raytheon Polar Services Company | |||
| Name and title of contact person: | Please address your questions to Dr. Jim Holik, Manager, Marine Science, or Alice Doyle, Superintendent, Ship Operations. | |||
| Address: | Raytheon Polar Services 7400 S. Tucson Way, Centennial CO, USA | |||
| Telephone: | Jim Holik: 303-790-8606 ext 32129 Alice Doyle: 303-790-8606 ext 32086 | |||
| Fax: | (303) 792-9006 | |||
| E-mail: | Jim Holik: jim.holik@usap.gov Alice Doyle: alice.doyle@usap.gov | |||
| Primary Management Agency | ||||
| Organization: | Same as above. | |||
| Vessel Characteristics | ||||
| Vessel type: | icebreaker | |||
| Vessel length in meters: | 93.9 | |||
| Vessel length in feet: | 308 | |||
| Draft in meters: | 5.9 | |||
| Draft in feet: | 19.417 | |||
| Displacement GRT: | 6640 | |||
| Year built: | 1992 | |||
| Vessel Performance and Capabilities | ||||
| Cruising speed (knots, open water): | 12 | |||
| Range in nautical miles: | 21000 | |||
| Range in km: | 38892 | |||
| Endurance (days): | 75 | |||
| Fuel capacity: | 425,000 U.S. Gallons (1,608,795 Liters) 1606m3 | |||
| Icebreaking capability: | 3 feet of ice at 3 knots | |||
| Propulsion power: | 12,720-hp from four Caterpillar Diesels | |||
| Accommodations | ||||
| Crew berths: | 22 | |||
| Scientist berths: | 43 | |||
| Communications and Data Systems | ||||
| Radio communications, Local area network (LAN), Internet access, Fax send/receive | ||||
| Network: | E-mail is sent and received twice daily on both the NATHANIEL B. PALMER and LAURENCE M. GOULD at about 0700 and 1600 MST. There are no restrictions on the types of messages that can be received, i.e., audio or image files. However, there is a limit of 75 kiloBytes per file on all incoming and outgoing message traffic. If you are a grantee preparing for a cruise and will need to send business-related files in excess of this limit, please discuss it with your RPSC point of contact in Denver before leaving for the vessel. | |||
| Telephone system : | All INMARSAT calls costs about $3 per minute and have a connection fee of about $6. INMARSAT is the satellite communications provider for the LAURENCE M. GOULD and NATHANIEL B. PALMER and provides the following services: Phone(voice communications), Fax, 64 Kbps Data and E-mail (E-mail sessions are done twice daily), Telex | |||
| Laboratory Space | ||||
| Number of containerized labs accommodated : | Vessel is capable of carrying twenty 20' cargo containers | |||
| Onboard Science Equipment | ||||
| Acoustic/Bathymetric Equipment: | Echosounders: 3kHz 12kHz Sonar Type: Fisheries | |||
| A-Frames | ||||
| Onboard A-Frames: | the stern A-frame has a 60-ton carrying capacity | |||
| Cranes | ||||
| Onboard cranes: | The Main Crane is rated to lift 15,000 lbs at full extension, but can lift up to 20,000 lbs if the boom is not fully extended. The crane can reach all levels from the Cargo Hold to the 05 Level. | |||
| Winches, Wires and Cables | ||||
| Onboard winches: | Two Markey DUSH-9 Winches. One is equipped with mechanical cable, and the other contains .680-inch electromechanical cable, with a single coaxial cable conductor. Two Starboard Waterfall Winches, one with 5/16-inch steel armored mechanical cable, and the other contains an electromechanical .322 armored steel cable. One Baltic Room Winch which has more than 10,000 meters of coaxial electromechanical .322-inch steel-armored cable make this winch capable of full-ocean-depth deployments of the SeaBird CTD or other equipment. | |||
| Other Science Features | ||||
| Other science-related features: | Helicopter Hangar: 40 ft. x 32 ft. (1300 sq. ft.) Flight Deck: 54 ft. x 44 ft. (2500 sq. ft.) Helicopter Fuel Capacity: 7,200 U.S. Gallons (27,250 Liters) | |||
| Science Support Personnel Available | ||||
| Comments: | Raytheon Polar Services Company provides up to 10 support personnel from the departments shown below. These may vary depending on the type of science and/or the importance of services provided by a particular department. Questions regarding staffing should be directed to the cruise point of contact and/or department supervisor. Every cruise will sail with the following minimum list of support personnel: * One Marine Projects Coordinator * Two or more Marine Technicians * One or two Electronics Technicians * One or two Computer Technicians One of the above positions will also double as an Emergency Medical Technician. Both RPS and ECO also have access to the Medical Advisory System (MAS) to assist with any medical needs via telephone. In addition, the following positions may be filled as needed: * One Marine Science Technician * One additional Electronics Technician or Computer Technician * Additional Marine Technicians as needed and as berthing space permits * Keep in mind that additional RPS support will reduce the number of grantees that will be able to sail. Along with the RPS point of contact for the cruise, the Chief Scientist and/or Principal Investigator must decide which positions are the most critical to the success of the cruise. | |||
| Current Projects and Research History | ||||
| Research sources: | The Western Arctic Shelf Basin Interactions (SBI) project is a multi-year, interdisciplinary program to investigate the impact of global change on physical, biological and geochemical processes over the Chukcki and Beaufort Sea shelf basin region in the Western Arctic Ocean. The project is sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research. | |||