Vessels
Flagship of the NOAA fleet, the Ronald H. Brown displays colors in between cruises while docked at her home port of Charleston, South Carolina. Click image for larger view.
It has been said by many a traveler that it doesn’t always matter where you go, but how you get there. In the realm of ocean exploration, this statement also rings true. The waters covering our planet are vast, extending over 70% of its surface. Beyond the coastlines of Earth’s major continents, the oceans remain virtually unexplored. This is because the very nature of the oceans has always presented great challenges to anyone seeking to unlock their secrets. In addition to their sheer size, ocean waters are a potentially deadly environment. Many a merchant, fisherman, and scientist, has lost their lives as sudden squalls, rogue waves, and other unexpected events have taken them by surprise at sea.
Vessels are certainly the most critical element in any oceangoing venture. Once it leaves the safety of its dock, a ship is an island unto itself on the open seas, its crew at the mercy of the waves. Any ship, be it a 15-ft sailboat, 150-ft fishing vessel, or a 1500-ft tanker, must, at a minimum, carry all of the food, water, fuel, and equipment that its crew will need to live and work in safety for the duration of the journey.
The R/V Cape Fear provides an excellent platform for transporting scientists and their equipment quickly and safely to their research sites. Click image for larger view.
All of the ships highlighted here, from the 70-ft research vessel (R/V) Cape Fear, to the 274-ft NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown, are much more than floating vessels. They are highly advanced mobile research stations capable of transporting scientists, mariners and their equipment with some degree of safety and comfort, over the high seas. These ships provide stable platforms from which explorers can deploy equipment, divers, and submersibles. In addition, they carry state-of- the-art electronics, computers, and navigational and communications systems to analyze the data they gather, and provide the crew with up-to-the-minute information about the ever-changing ocean environments. Welcome aboard!
