R/V Roger Revelle in Koror, Palau in 2016
History
United States
NameRoger Revelle
NamesakeRoger Randall Dougan Revelle, a scientist, Naval officer, and scholar of the University of California, San Diego, founder of Office of Naval Research, and was one of the first scientists to study global warming and the movement of Earth's tectonic plates
OwnerU.S. Navy[1]
OperatorScripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego under agreement with Office of Naval Research[1]
BuilderHalter Marine Inc., Gulfport, Mississippi
Laid down9 December 1993
Launched20 April 1995
Acquiredby the U.S. Navy, 11 June 1996, as RV Roger Revelle (T-AGOR-24)
Maiden voyageMississippi to San Diego, California, in July 1996
In serviceleased to Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, June 1996
Identification
NotesRadio Call Sign: KAOU[1]
General characteristics
Class and typeThomas G Thompson-class oceanographic research ship
TypeGlobal-Class Auxiliary General-Purpose Research Vessel
Tonnage
  • 3,180 GT
  • 954 ITC Net Tonnage[1]
Displacement3,512 long tons[1]
Length277 feet (84.4 m)[1]
Beam52 feet 5 inches (16.0 m)[1]
Draft17 feet (5.2 m)[1]
Propulsiondiesel-electric, two 3,000hp z-drives; 1,180 hp Azimuthing jet[1]
Speed11.7 knots (21.7 km/h; 13.5 mph) "variable with conditions"[1]
Range15,000 NM at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) (fuel)[1]
Endurance52 days at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) (fuel)[1]
CapacityFuel: 227,500 (planning)[1]
Crew22 civilian mariners; 37 scientific party[1]
Armamentnone

R/V Roger Revelle is a Thomas G. Thompson-class oceanographic research ship operated by Scripps Institution of Oceanography under charter agreement with Office of Naval Research as part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) fleet.[2] The ship is named after Roger Randall Dougan Revelle, who was essential to the incorporation of Scripps into the University of California San Diego.

Roger Revelle, berthed in Palau in 2016
Computer lab
Legazpi, Philippines, 2012

Construction and characteristics

Roger Revelle was built by Halter Marine Inc., Gulfport, Mississippi. She was laid down on 9 December 1993 and launched on 20 April 1995. She was delivered to the U.S. Navy 11 June 1996, as RV Roger Revelle (T-AGOR-24), a Thomas G. Thompson-class oceanographic research ship. Her maiden voyage was from Gulfport to San Diego, California, the following month.[3] She is a sister ship to the R/V Thomas G. Thompson (UW), NOAAS Ronald H. Brown (NOAA) and R/V Atlantis (Woods Hole), all built upon the same design.

The Revelle underwent a $60 million refit between 2019 and 2020, where over six miles of cable were replaced.[4][5] The refit overhauled the power systems, ballast management, bow thruster (to a new retractable ZF thruster), refurbished the A-frame, and added a scientific gondola.

Navigational capabilities

Oceanographic data acquisition sensors and processing systems

As of 2014, the ship comes standard with these set of Oceanographic sensors; with provisions, space, and modularity to add a variety of other scientific sensors and equipment.

Winches

Support equipment

Computing environment

Shipboard computer systems consists of a cluster of Linux (CentOS) servers capable of up to 20 Terabytes of available and expandable cruise data storage in RAID6 configuration. The cluster provides email, intranet, NAS, DHCP, proxy, SAMBA, Active Directory, data processing, and data procurement services. Internet is provided using a combination of UNOLS-designed proprietary satellite system (C-Band), shore cellular network (3G, 4G/LTE), and/or Inmarsat FleetBroadband (L-Band). In addition to the cluster, there is a wide array of data acquisition computers hooked up to a modular display array. All live processed data from the ship's standard set of acquisition systems is displayed on the array, and provide live feedback of the ship's underway data. There are repeating displays in the main lab, and hydro lab that shows MET and navigation data.

The various Windows, Linux, and Mac acquisition machines perform data acquisition, archiving and processing functions on many of the permanently installed data collection systems. All data is centralized in the cluster.

Associated cruises

The Revelle's first research cruise was for the 1996 CalCOFI cruise, which she commonly undertakes on an annual basis.[3]

Revelle and her sister ships are required for maintenance on the OOI Regional Cabled Array off the west coast of the United States.[8][9] The Revelle is capable of deploying a 36-niskin rosette and has participated in several sections of the NSF GO-SHIP and GEOTRACES hydrography programs.[10] She is large enough to accommodate for an ROV and associated equipment, thereby also making her capable of engineering cruises and exploration for hydrothermal vents.[11][12] This included portions of the NOAA vents program (1980 - 2013).[13][14]

With a large operational range, she is used to deploy floats (ARGO, GO-BGC, SOCCOM, etc.) in remote areas.[15][16]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Scripps Institution of Oceanography. "R/V Roger Revelle General specifications". Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  2. ^ "Ships/Facilities". University National Oceanographic Laboratory System. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Webmaster. "RV Roger Revelle". calcofi.org. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  4. ^ Miller, Melissa. "Midlife Refit of Research Vessel Roger Revelle Completed". Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  5. ^ "Ship Repair: Inside the $60m Refit of RV Roger Revelle". MarineLink. 2021-01-22. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  6. ^ Chirp 3260 Accessed 03-March 2019
  7. ^ "Markey Secures Order for Next-Generation Science Winches for AGOR-27". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  8. ^ "Ships – OOI Regional Cabled Array". Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  9. ^ "Rolling Deck to Repository (R2R)". www.rvdata.us. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  10. ^ "GEOTRACES cruise programme". British Oceanographic Data Centre. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  11. ^ "R/V Roger Revelle: Investigation of life at the extreme". Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  12. ^ Stefanoudis, Paris (2021-09-07). "East Pacific Rise 9°50'N cruise continues decades of research on vent community recovery and connectivity". DSBS. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  13. ^ Hammond, Stephen; Embley, Robert; Baker, Edward (2015-03-01). "The NOAA Vents Program 1983 to 2013: Thirty Years of Ocean Exploration and Research". Oceanography. 28 (1): 160–173. doi:10.5670/oceanog.2015.17. ISSN 1042-8275.
  14. ^ US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Submarine Ring of Fire 2014 - Ironman: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research". oceanexplorer.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  15. ^ "Array Status | GO-BGC". Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  16. ^ "GO-SHIP P02 | GO-BGC". Retrieved 2022-06-16.