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Commissioned in May, 2003, this 224-foot/68 meter vessel conducts coastal oceanographic research, marine mammal population studies and environmental assessments throughout much of the eastern Pacific, including the U.S. West Coast, Central and South America. The vessel is operated by NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations (NMAO), and is home ported at NOAA's Marine Operations Center, Pacific (MOP), in Seattle, Washington. The McARTHUR II carries a complement of 5 officers, 17 crew members and up to 15 scientists. Researchers aboard the McARTHUR II come from many divisions of NOAA, as well as other Federal and state government agencies, and academia. As was it's predecessor, the McARTHUR, the McARTHUR II is named after William Pope McArthur, a naval officer who conducted the first hydrographic survey of the Pacific coast of the United States, in 1848. Information and images are from the
vessel's web site.
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The NOAA Ship McArthur II is a highly capable, multipurpose oceanographic research ship. Acquired from the U.S. Navy in 2002, it was converted by NOAA from a surveillance vessel to a flexible platform capable of missions ranging from manned submersible deployments to whale observations. A diverse complement of small boats and specialized oceanographic equipment allows McArthur II to conduct a wide variety of marine research disciplines. The ship is outfitted with sophisticated data acquisition equipment used to monitor the atmospheric and oceanic environment wherever it travels. These instruments
include a thermosalinograph, conductivity-temperature-depth instrument (CTD), and Scientific Computer System (SCS).
| Vessel Ownership | ||||
| Vessel name: | McArthur II | |||
| Vessel nationality: | United States | |||
| Vessel owner: | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: NOAA | |||
| Vessel operator: | NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations (NMAO), Marine Operations Center, Pacific. |  | ||
| Homeport: | Seattle, Washington, USA | |||
| Vessel web page: | http://www.moc.noaa.gov/mt/index.html | |||
| Vessel Activities and Operating Areas | ||||
| Vessel's main activity: | Oceanographic and biological research | |||
| Vessel operating areas: | Mainly eastern Pacific Ocean, including North Pacific. Capable world-wide. | |||
| Primary Logistics Provider | ||||
| Organization: | NOAA Marine Operations Center Pacific | |||
| Name and title of contact person: | CDR Mark Ablondi | |||
| Address: | Chief, Operations Division Marine Operations Center, Pacific 1801 Fairview Avenue East Seattle, WA 98102-3767 |  | ||
| Telephone: | 206-553-4548 | |||
| E-mail: | ChiefOps.MOP@noaa.gov | |||
| Contact person or agency web page: | http://www.moc.noaa.gov/mop.htm | |||
| Scheduling Process | ||||
| Scheduling agency: | NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations | |||
| Scheduling contact : | Ship Time Request forms and instructions can be obtained online at http://www.moc.noaa.gov/all_ships/ship_request.htm | |||
| Process description: | A formal request for ship time is submitted on a Ship Time Request Form (NOAA Form 77-65). This form should be submitted at least one year or more in advance of the planned cruise. Once the requestor completes the form and it has been passed through the requestor's chain of command, it is submitted to NMAO Headquarters (Program Services Division). For a full description of this process, and timeline, see the NOAA web site at: http://www.moc.noaa.gov/all_ships/procedure.htm | |||
| Vessel Characteristics | ||||
| Vessel type: | Dedicated research vessel | |||
| Vessel length in meters: | 68.3 | |||
| Vessel length in feet: | 224 | |||
| Beam (Breadth) in meters: | 13.1 | |||
| Beam in feet: | 43 | |||
| Draft in meters: | 4.6 | |||
| Draft in feet: | 15 | |||
| Displacement GRT: | 1914 | |||
| Year built: | 2003 | Originally built in 1985, the McArthur II was refitted by NOAA in 2002 and commissioned in 2003. | ||
| Vessel Performance and Capabilities | ||||
| Cruising speed (knots, open water): | 11 | |||
| Range in nautical miles: | 8000 | |||
| Range in km: | 14816 | |||
| Endurance (days): | 45 | |||
| Propulsion power: | Main Propulsion: 1600 HP (Two Diesel Electric motors @ 800 HP each) Bow Thruster: 550 HP | |||
| Fuel capacity: | 224,000 gal, #2 diesel | |||
| Accommodations | ||||
| Scientist berths: | 15 | |||
| Crew berths: | 22 | Single staterooms: 18 Double staterooms: 8 Quadruple staterooms: 1 | ||
| Communications and Data Systems | ||||
| High Frequency SSB (SEA 330) Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) Full suite of GMDSS communications equipment. The high frequency transceiver is a 250-watt output unit capable of operation on all ITU standard channels and digitally selective calling of another GMDSS equipped unit. The HF transceiver is located on the bridge. The VHF-DSC transceivers, of which the ship carries two, is a 25-watt output digital selective call equipped marine channel transceiver. Both VHF-DSC transceivers are located on the bridge. The GMDSS Standard C Inmarsat is capable of sending and receiving store and forward telex messages. The Standard C is located in the Radio room. Also carried on board are several Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB) and Search and Rescue Radar Transponders (SART). VHF Radios Four fixed VHF radios with eight channels preprogrammed with a selection of marine band and NOAA frequencies. These radios are located on the bridge. The ship also carries a selection of hand held VHF radios available for operational use. Satellite Systems The ship's satellite communication systems include: • INMARSAT Standard B Radio Transceiver • INMARSAT Standard C Radio Transceiver . • INMARSAT MINI-M • Iridium phone An account on the ship's e-mail system can be established for visiting scientists, by the shipboard electronics staff. The ship exchanges messages with the shore two times a day, when at sea. | ||||
| Laboratory Space | ||||
| ALIAS is seeking information on the laboratory spaces on the McArthur II | ||||
| Science Support Equipment | ||||
| Small boats The McARTHUR II carries two rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIB). These can be used for a wide range of activities, including personnel and cargo transfer, rescue operations, diving, and various types of sampling. 21 ft working RHIB, Zodiac. 130 hp Yamaha outboard, GPS and Fathometer 18 ft rescue RHIB. Willard. 20 hp Johnson outboard | ||||
| Onboard Science Equipment | ||||
| Atmospheric/Meteorological Equipment: | Barometer One installed barometer with digital output manufactured by Atmospheric Instruments. Data is output in millibars and is recorded on SCS and available for scientific use. | |||
| Acoustic/Bathymetric Equipment: | Echo Sounder - Shallow Water Abyss IES-10 Echo sounder (12 kHz and 200 kHz) is located on the bridge and is used strictly for navigational purposes. | |||
| Oceanographic equipment: | Autosalinometer One Guildline model 8400 autosalinometer capable of precision salinity calculation Thermosalinograph (TSG) The Seabird Electronics SBE-45 thermosalinograph is plumbed into the Wet Lab and measures the conductivity and temperature of the water. The hull intake is 3 meters below the water line. The data is recorded on SCS and is available for scientific use. Expendable Bathythermograph (XBT) There is a Sippican MK-12 XBT system with a portable launcher that is available for scientific use. The user must supply XBT probes. | |||
| CTD Equipment | ||||
| One Seabird Electronics Model 9/11 Plus CTD system with SBE-32 12-position carousel water sampler. The SBE 9 Plus underwater assembly has a depth capacity of 6800 meters and a conductivity/temperature sensor pair. The data is acquired with the Windows version of SBE's Seasave software. | ||||
| A-Frames | ||||
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| Cranes | ||||
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Manufacturer: North American Crane Equipment Boom length (extended): 32 ft. Location: 01 Deck - aft Lifting capacity, boom extended: 2,030 lbs. Work Boat Davit Manufacturer: Allied Systems Co. Boom length: 22 ft. Location: 02 Deck, starboard, aft Safe working load (SWL): 5,300 lbs. Rescue Boat Davit Manufacturer: Schat-Marine Safety Corporation Location: 02 Deck, port, aft Safe Working Load (SWL): 4,720 lbs. | ||||
SEA Inc. 300-watt high frequency transceiver. The transceiver covers a frequency range from 1.6 to 29.9 MHz. The system is set up with one operating station fixed in the Radio/Chart room and one voice capable station in the computer room.