 The CCGS Amundsen, a Canadian Coast Guard heavy icebreaker, has been reactivated and refitted in 2003 for its new role as a dedicated platform for Arctic research initiatives. Amundsen has been converted into a state-of-the-art science vessel with capacity to conduct ocean-floor mapping and shallow marine drilling operations, wet and dry laboratories, meteorological instruments, the ability to take ocean samples in extreme weather conditions through an access hole in the vessel's bottom hull, and many other science features.
The ship is crewed by Coast Guard personnel based in the Quebec Region, who are providing operational and navigational expertise to ongoing Arctic research projects. Amundsen is the property of the Canadian federal government and will be reserved half the year for exclusive use by the Canadian scientific community and the other half of the year for the Coast Guard's regular operations, such as assisting in icebreaking activities in eastern Canada. |
| Vessel Ownership | ||||
| Vessel name: | CCGS Amundsen | |||
| Vessel nationality: | Canada | |||
| Homeport: | Québec City, Québec, Canada | |||
| Vessel owner: | Canadian Coast Guard | |||
| Vessel operator: | Canadian Coast Guard | |||
| Vessel web page: | http://www.amundsen.quebec-ocean.ulaval.ca/amundsenenglish.htm | |||
| Vessel Activities and Operating Areas | ||||
| Vessel's main activity: |  Icebreaking: Research - related in summer, Coast Guard operations in winter. | |||
| Vessel operating areas: | All seas, particularly Canadian arctic. | |||
| Primary Logistics Provider | ||||
| Organization: | ALIAS is currently seeking this information. | |||
| Name and title of contact person: | ||||
| Address: | ||||
| Telephone: | ||||
| Fax: | ||||
| E-mail: | ||||
| Contact person or agency web page: | ||||
| Scheduling Process | ||||
| Scheduling agency: | ALIAS is currently seeking this information. | |||
| Vessel Characteristics | ||||
| Vessel type: | Icebreaker, Arctic class 3 | |||
| Vessel length in meters: | 98 | |||
| Vessel length in feet: | 322 | |||
| Beam (Breadth) in meters: | 19.5 | |||
| Beam in feet: | 64 | |||
| Draft in meters: | 7 | |||
| Draft in feet: | 23 | |||
| Displacement GRT: | 8090 | |||
| Year built: | 2003 | |||
| Freeboard (deck to water) in meters : | no data | |||
| Freeboard (deck to water) in feet : | no data | |||
| Height (topmast to water) in meters : | no data | |||
| Height (topmast to water) in feet : | no data | |||
| Science deck space (m) : | no data | |||
| Science deck space (ft) : | no data | |||
| Vessel Performance and Capabilities | ||||
| Propulsion power: | Shaft Horsepower 13960 | |||
| Cruising speed (knots, open water): | 14 | |||
| Range in nautical miles: | 15000 | |||
| Range in km: | 27780 | |||
| Icebreaking capability: | unknown | |||
| Fuel capacity: | ||||
| Endurance (days) : | no data | |||
| Accommodations | ||||
| Crew berths: | 31 | |||
| Scientist berths: | 46 | |||
| Communications and Data Systems | ||||
 Available in all cabins and Labs: Internal communication system Ethernet network access Closed-circuit video camera system Bell ExpressVu High Speed data download and TV | ||||
| Laboratory Space | ||||
| Lab space: | 12 interior laboratories, including: CTD/Rosette/Moonpool wet lab Dry Instruments laboratory Microscopy room Wet and Refrigerated laboratories Geology/Paleoceanography lab Dry satellite reception and computer lab | |||
| Number of containerized labs accommodated : | 8 | |||
| Dry lab size (square meters) : | no data | |||
| Dry lab size (square feet) : | no data | |||
| Wet lab size (square meters) : | 300 square meters lab space, total, wet and dry. | |||
| Wet lab size (square feet) : | 3,229 square feet, total, wet and dry | |||
| Science Support Equipment | ||||
 Zodiac Hurricane 7.33 m with fast launch Miranda DavitBO-105 Helicopter Scientific landing barge with winch, gallows and heated cabin On-Ice: 3 heavy duty snomobiles 3 regular touring snomobiles 1 BR180 halftrack vehicle ("snow-cat" type) 2 parcoll arctic shelters 3 Honda 5Kw diesel generators | ||||
| Onboard Science Equipment | ||||
| Comments: | Moving Vessel Profiler MVP300 ORE Flotation 20 Oceano acoustic releases 20 Aanderaa RCM-11 environmental probes 12 Workhorse ADCPs 10 PPS3/3 Technicap sediment traps (12 cups) 2 PPS5/5 Technicap sediment traps ( 24 cups) 2 Seabird Carousel Rosettes Hull Mounted Sounders: SIMRAD EM300 multibeam sounder Knudsen K320R 3.5 kHz subbottom profiler Simrad EK60 scientific echosounder Shipborn Ocean Surveyor ADCP SubAtlantic SuperMohawk ROV with TMS operation cage Hydrobios multinet sampler BIOness multinet sampler Laboratory equipment: Nutrient analyzer Salinometer Scintillation counter X-Ray system and darkroom Multisensor core logger (gamma) Nitrogen plant Mili-Q system -80C freezers Environmental chambers Epiflourescence microscope (BX52) Stereoscopic microscopes (MZ16) | |||
| CTD Equipment | ||||
| Onboard CTD equipment: | 2 Seabird Carousel Rosettes, each with SBE911+CTDs Midship A-frame with 40hp winch for CTD deployment CTD control room, and CTD/Rosette room with wet lab and moonpool. | |||
| A-Frames | ||||
| Onboard A-Frames: | 1 midship for CTD Rosette deployment, with 40hp winch 1 forward, 10-ton with 500hp winch |  | ||
| Cranes | ||||
| Onboard cranes: | 4 eight-ton deck cranes | |||
| Winches, Wires and Cables | ||||
| Onboard winches: | 1 500hp on forward 10-ton A-frame 1 60hp on forward deck 1 40hp on midship CTD A-frame | |||
| Other wires and cables: | no data | |||
| Electro-magnetic wires: | no data | |||
| Current Projects and Research History | ||||
| Comments: | On September 13th, CCGS Amundsen left her homeport of Québec City for a one-year mission in the high Canadian Arctic, to study the Mackenzie Shelf ecosystem. Largely funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the Canadian Arctic Shelf Exchange Study (CASES) is a multidisciplinary network of scientists interested in all the different angles of the Mackenzie Shelf ecosystem, from carbon molecules to polar bears. In particular, CASES focuses on the impacts of climate warming on the biological and physical processes of the Mackenzie Shelf system. Click here for detailed information, cruise log and photographs, on the CASES web site. |  Click image to enlarge. | ||