RV Thomas G. Thompson (T-AGOR-23): Difference between revisions
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'''R/V ''Thomas G. Thompson'' (AGOR-23)''' |
'''R/V ''Thomas G. Thompson'' (AGOR-23)''' is an [[oceanographic research vessel]] and [[lead ship]] of [[Thomas G. Thompson-class oceanographic research ship|her class]], owned by the [[Office of Naval Research|United States Office of Naval Research]] and operated under a bareboat [[charterparty]] agreement by the [[University of Washington]] as part of the [[University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System]] (UNOLS) fleet. |
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== Construction and characteristics== |
== Construction and characteristics== |
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The Navy issued bid solicitations to the shipbuilding industry for a new oceanographic ship on May 27, 1987.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://www.unols.org/sites/default/files/04161805.PDF|title=Meeting Minutes 9-10 November, 1987|publisher=UNOLS Fleet Improvement Committee|year=1987}}</ref> |
The Navy issued bid solicitations to the shipbuilding industry for a new oceanographic ship on May 27, 1987.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://www.unols.org/sites/default/files/04161805.PDF|title=Meeting Minutes 9-10 November, 1987|publisher=UNOLS Fleet Improvement Committee|year=1987}}</ref> [[VT Halter Marine|Halter Marine, Inc.]] won the contract for the construction of ''Thomas G. Thompson'' in June 1988. Her original contract price was $20.9 million. She was built in Moss Point, Mississippi.<ref>{{Cite news|date=October 19, 1988|title=Trinity Marine Group Earns $21 Million Job|work=Daily Review|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/470338169/?terms=%22halter%2Bmarine%22%2Bnavy}}</ref> Her keel was laid down on March 29, 1989, and she was launched on July 27, 1990. ''Thomas G. Thompson'' was [[Ceremonial ship launching|christened]] by Dr. Dora Henry, Oceanography Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=August 31, 1990|title=Update on R/V Thomas G. Thompson|url=https://www.unols.org/sites/default/files/199008rvonews.pdf|journal=Research Vessel Operators Committee Newsletter|publisher=University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System|volume=14}}</ref> The ship was completed and delivered to the Office of Naval Research on July 8, 1991.<ref name="manual-intro">[http://www.ocean.washington.edu/2004/services/vessels/tgt/ops_manual/intro.html Introduction] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080215123645/http://www.ocean.washington.edu/2004/services/vessels/tgt/ops_manual/intro.html|date=2008-02-15}}, Operations Manual, R/V ''Thomas G. Thompson'', created April 1997, last updated 10 April 2006. Accessed online 30 April 2008.</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=July 21, 1991|title=Shipyard finishes work on Navy's research ship|work=Mobile Register|url=https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2%3A12A5B295590D2839%40GB3NEWS-132CDBF2C83E35D5%402448459-132BDE9EDCB4FFFC%4020-132BDE9EDCB4FFFC%40?h=6&fname=&mname=&lname=&kwinc=%22halter%20marine%22%20navy&kwexc=&rgfromDate=1990&rgtoDate=1991&formDate=&formDateFlex=exact&dateType=range&processingtime=&addedFrom=&addedTo=&sid=jpcufscilwprmbexfdqewfxddvnqopiy_wma-gateway008_1597709733853}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Naval Vessel Register - THOMAS G THOMPSON (AGOR 23)|url=https://www.nvr.navy.mil/SHIPDETAILS/SHIPSDETAIL_AGOR_23_2227.HTML|access-date=2020-08-18|website=www.nvr.navy.mil}}</ref> |
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''Thomas G. Thompson'' is {{Convert|274|ft|m|abbr=}} long, with a beam of {{Convert|52.5|ft|m|abbr=}} and a full-load draft of {{Convert|19|ft|m|abbr=}}.<ref>{{Cite web|title=RV Thomas G Thompson|url=http://www.ocean.washington.edu/story/RV_Thomas_G_Thompson|access-date=2020-08-17|website=www.ocean.washington.edu}}</ref> The hull is of welded steel plate construction. |
''Thomas G. Thompson'' is {{Convert|274|ft|m|abbr=}} long, with a beam of {{Convert|52.5|ft|m|abbr=}} and a full-load draft of {{Convert|19|ft|m|abbr=}}.<ref>{{Cite web|title=RV Thomas G Thompson|url=http://www.ocean.washington.edu/story/RV_Thomas_G_Thompson|access-date=2020-08-17|website=www.ocean.washington.edu}}</ref> The hull is of welded steel plate construction. She displaces 3,051 long tons at full load.<ref name=":0" /> Her gross tonnage is calculated at 3,095 and her net tonnage is 928. She is [[Ship classification society|classed]] by the [[American Bureau of Shipping]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=USCG PSIX Search Page|url=https://cgmix.uscg.mil/PSIX/PSIXSearch.aspx|access-date=2020-08-19|website=cgmix.uscg.mil}}</ref> |
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She has a cruising speed of 12 knots and a maximum speed of 15 knots.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jordanroderick/sandbox?veaction=edit|title=US Academic Research Fleet Vessel Specifications|publisher=University National Oceanographic Laboratory System|year=2015}}</ref> |
She has a cruising speed of 12 knots and a maximum speed of 15 knots.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jordanroderick/sandbox?veaction=edit|title=US Academic Research Fleet Vessel Specifications|publisher=University National Oceanographic Laboratory System|year=2015}}</ref> She has six diesel generators, three 1,500 kW and three 750 kW, which provide electrical and propulsion power to the ship. The generators, in turn, power two 3,000 hp [[Direct current|DC]] electric motors which provide the ship's main propulsion. The DC motors power two 360-degree azimuth [[z-drive]]s with four-bladed fixed-pitch propellers. The ship also has a 360-degree azimuth Tees White Gill [[Pump-jet|water jet]] [[Manoeuvring thruster|bow thruster]] driven by a separate 1,100 hp DC motor.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=WOLF : WORLD OF LARGE FACILITIES|url=https://wolf.zeus.go.kr/worldwide/20150616000000001392|access-date=2020-08-20|website=wolf.zeus.go.kr}}</ref> Controls are installed to integrate the z-drives and bow thruster into a [[Dynamic positioning|dynamic positioning system]]. Engineers can select fuel-efficient combinations of generators to power the ship whether she is towing an instrument at 1 knot, transiting at 15 knots, or anywhere in between.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jurassic Ocean Crust Magnetic Survey 2011|url=https://www3.kutztown.edu/JOCMS2011/day30.html|access-date=2020-08-20|website=www3.kutztown.edu}}</ref> Her fuel tanks can hold up to {{Convert|280000|gal|l|abbr=}} giving her an unrefueled range of 12,000 miles at 15 knots.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Getting UW's R/V Thompson into shipshape|url=https://environment.uw.edu/news/2016/08/getting-uws-rv-thompson-into-shipshape|access-date=2020-08-19|website=College of the Environment|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> |
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''Thomas G. Thompson'' normally sails with 21 civilian officers and crew, 2 marine technicians, and up to 36 scientists.<ref>{{Cite web|title=RV Thomas G Thompson|url=http://www.ocean.washington.edu/story/RV+Thomas+G+Thompson|access-date=2020-08-18|website=www.ocean.washington.edu}}</ref> |
''Thomas G. Thompson'' normally sails with 21 civilian officers and crew, 2 marine technicians, and up to 36 scientists.<ref>{{Cite web|title=RV Thomas G Thompson|url=http://www.ocean.washington.edu/story/RV+Thomas+G+Thompson|access-date=2020-08-18|website=www.ocean.washington.edu}}</ref> The crew is unionized, represented by the Inland Boatmen's Union of the Pacific.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://hr.uw.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2017/07/IBU-UW-2015-2017-CBA.pdf|title=COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT BY AND BETWEEN BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON AND THE INLANDBOATMEN'S UNION OF THE PACIFIC|year=2015}}</ref> |
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To support her research activities she has 4,000 square feet of wet and dry laboratory space, multi-beam mapping sonar and other sensors, and a number of cranes and winches to lower and tow various instruments. |
To support her research activities she has 4,000 square feet of wet and dry laboratory space, multi-beam mapping sonar and other sensors, and a number of cranes and winches to lower and tow various instruments. The A-frame on her stern, the largest crane aboard, is rated for a 15-ton static load.<ref name=":3" /> |
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The University of Washington won the right to operate ''Thomas G. Thompson'' through a competitive bidding process. |
The University of Washington won the right to operate ''Thomas G. Thompson'' through a competitive bidding process. Invitations to bid were issued on June 5, 1987.<ref name=":1" /> Among the qualifications for bidders specified by the Office of Naval Research was the return of an earlier generation AGOR-3 class oceanographic vessel that the Navy could retire when the new ship was delivered. As a practical matter, this limited bidding to the University of Washington, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the [[Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory|Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory]] of [[Columbia University]]. The Office of Naval Research announced in November 1987 that it had selected the University of Washington to operate the then unnamed AGOR-23.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.unols.org/sites/default/files/198803acncmi.pdf|title=Advisory Council Meeting|publisher=University-National Oceanographic Laboritory System|year=1988|pages=5}}</ref> Contacts were signed with the Navy in June 1988.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Replacing the Fleet|url=https://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/replacing-the-fleet/|access-date=2020-08-18|website=Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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The ship is named for [[Thomas Gordon Thompson]], who founded the University of Washington's Oceanographic Laboratories in 1930. |
The ship is named for [[Thomas Gordon Thompson]], who founded the University of Washington's Oceanographic Laboratories in 1930. The ship is designated by the Navy as an AGOR or "Auxiliary General-purpose Oceanographic Research" ship. She is the second research vessel named after Dr. Thompson. The first, [[USNS Thomas G. Thompson (T-AGOR-9)|USNS ''Thomas G. Thompson'' (T-AGOR-9)]], also operated by the University of Washington, was launched in 1963.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Redfield|first1=Alfred C.|url=http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/thompson-thomas.pdf|title=Thomas Gordon Thompson|last2=Barnes|first2=Clifford A.|last3=Richards|first3=Francis A.|publisher=National Academy Of Sciences|year=1973|location=Washington, D.C.|pages=246}}</ref> |
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==Sister ships== |
==Sister ships== |
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== Operating history == |
== Operating history == |
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[[File:RV Thomas G. Thompson in 2018.jpg|left|thumb|RV ''Thomas G. Thompson'' in 2018 after her mid-life renovation]] |
[[File:RV Thomas G. Thompson in 2018.jpg|left|thumb|RV ''Thomas G. Thompson'' in 2018 after her mid-life renovation]] |
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''Thomas G. Thompson'' is designed for long-endurance research missions in deep ocean waters and typically spends 260 to 300 days a year at sea.<ref>{{Cite web|title=UW's large research vessel, R/V Thomas G. Thompson, gets a midlife overhaul|url=https://www.washington.edu/news/2016/06/16/uws-large-research-vessel-rv-thomas-g-thompson-gets-a-midlife-overhaul/|access-date=2020-08-19|website=UW News|language=en}}</ref> While she has sailed |
''Thomas G. Thompson'' is designed for long-endurance research missions in deep ocean waters and typically spends 260 to 300 days a year at sea.<ref>{{Cite web|title=UW's large research vessel, R/V Thomas G. Thompson, gets a midlife overhaul|url=https://www.washington.edu/news/2016/06/16/uws-large-research-vessel-rv-thomas-g-thompson-gets-a-midlife-overhaul/|access-date=2020-08-19|website=UW News|language=en}}</ref> While she has sailed around the Earth on almost every sea and ocean, she has spent the bulk of her career in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.<ref>{{Cite web|title=B-roll: RV Thomas G. Thompson comes home|url=https://www.washington.edu/news/2020/05/11/b-roll-rv-thomas-g-thompson-comes-home/|access-date=2020-08-20|website=UW News|language=en}}</ref> The hull is not ice-strengthened,<ref name=":2" /> |
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While the civilian crew is assigned to the ship permanently, the scientists rotate aboard in support of specific research programs. |
While the civilian crew is assigned to the ship permanently, the scientists rotate aboard in support of specific research programs. These have been quite varied, and include global warming,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Wheeler|first=Timothy B.|date=March 15, 1992|title=Maryland researchers on quest for scientific treasure: clue to global warming|work=Baltimore Sun|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/172946403/?terms=%22Thomas%2BG.%2BThompson%22%2BUniversity%2BWashington}}</ref> [[hydrothermal vent]]s,<ref>{{Cite news|date=July 26, 1998|title=Recovered Pacific 'chimneys' teeming with life|work=Star Tribune|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/194763006/?terms=%22Thomas%2BG.%2BThompson%22%2BUniversity%2BWashington}}</ref> [[Neutrino detector|neutrino detection]],<ref>{{Cite news|last=Kresnak|first=William|date=December 1, 1993|title=Hawaii's sea might tell universe's secrets|work=Honolulu Advertiser|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/264992547/?terms=%22Thomas%2BG.%2BThompson%22%2BUniversity%2BWashington}}</ref> mapping ocean currents<ref>{{Cite news|last=Punderson|first=Eben|date=June 29, 1993|title=UW Research Vessel Makes Port Call Here|work=Daily Sitka Sentinel|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/12984043/?terms=%22Thomas%2BG.%2BThompson%22%2BUniversity%2BWashington}}</ref> and seamounts,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Chambers|first=Susan|date=October 27, 2005|title=Black fog hides research vessel|work=The World|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/338516985/?terms=%22Thomas%2BG.%2BThompson%22%2BUniversity%2BWashington}}</ref> abyssal phytoplankton,<ref>{{Cite web|title=NSF Award Search: Award#0532479 - R/V Thomas G. Thompson Ship Operations 2005-2009|url=https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0532479|access-date=2020-08-19|website=www.nsf.gov}}</ref> underwater volcanic eruptions,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Schmid|first=Randolph E.|date=June 9, 2004|title=Seattle scientists catch undersea eruption on film|work=Longview Daily News|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/576791946/?terms=%22Thomas%2BG.%2BThompson%22%2BUniversity%2BWashington}}</ref> algal blooms,<ref>{{Cite web|title=UW, NOAA deploy ocean robot to monitor harmful algal blooms off Washington coast|url=https://www.washington.edu/news/2016/05/25/uw-noaa-deploy-ocean-robot-to-monitor-harmful-algal-blooms-off-washington-coast/|access-date=2020-08-20|website=UW News|language=en}}</ref> and monsoons in the Indian Ocean,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Losurdo|first=Major Marnee A. C.|date=July 19, 2018|title=Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters assist with monsoon research|work=Tampa Bay Times|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/474951038/?terms=%22Thomas%2BG.%2BThompson%22%2BUniversity%2BWashington}}</ref> among many others. |
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The vessel also serves as an educational platform for science students of all types from elementary to graduate levels.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Chin|first=Matthew|date=September 12, 2000|title=Oscar Loyola fifth-grade teacher explores the deep sea|work=The Californian|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/515658639/?terms=%22Thomas%2BG.%2BThompson%22%2BUniversity%2BWashington}}</ref> |
The vessel also serves as an educational platform for science students of all types from elementary to graduate levels.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Chin|first=Matthew|date=September 12, 2000|title=Oscar Loyola fifth-grade teacher explores the deep sea|work=The Californian|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/515658639/?terms=%22Thomas%2BG.%2BThompson%22%2BUniversity%2BWashington}}</ref> The University of Washington funds 45 days of ship time for its own students each year.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Daily|first=The|title=UW researcher's ship comes in|url=http://www.dailyuw.com/news/article_f58579e9-4af1-56db-8ab9-cab59bfb93c3.html|access-date=2020-08-20|website=The Daily of the University of Washington|language=en}}</ref> In 2004 this cost just over $1 million .<ref>{{Cite news|last=Mello|first=Michael|date=May 23, 2004|title=University works to replace research vessel|work=Corvallis Gazette-Times|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/383865677/?terms=%22Thomas%2BG.%2BThompson%22%2BUniversity%2BWashington}}</ref> |
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''Thomas G. Thompson's'' expected service life was 30 years, which would have seen the ship retired in 2021.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://oceanleadership.org/files/IWG-F%20Fleet%20Status%20Report%20-%20Final.pdf|title=Federal Oceanographic Fleet Status Report|publisher=Interagency Working Group on Facilities|year=2007}}</ref> |
''Thomas G. Thompson's'' expected service life was 30 years, which would have seen the ship retired in 2021.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://oceanleadership.org/files/IWG-F%20Fleet%20Status%20Report%20-%20Final.pdf|title=Federal Oceanographic Fleet Status Report|publisher=Interagency Working Group on Facilities|year=2007}}</ref> Instead, on October 16, 2014, the University of Washington issued a request for proposals for a mid-life refit. The contract was awarded to the [[Vigor Industrial]] shipyard in Seattle. Her renovation began in June 2016. The project ultimately cost $52 million, jointly funded by the Office of Naval Research, the National Science Foundation, and the University of Washington. The work is expected to extend the vessel's life by 10 to 15 years. During the refit the propulsion system was largely replaced with new diesel generators, overhauled propulsion motors, and new switchboards, control systems, and alarms, electrical cable and pipework was replaced as well as the air-conditioning, refrigeration, sewage, and freshwater systems. New research and navigation instruments were also added.<ref>{{Cite web|title=R/V Thomas G. Thompson Mid-Life Extension|url=https://vigor.net/projects/r-v-thomas-g-thompson-mid-life-extension|access-date=2020-08-17|website=Vigor|language=en-US}}</ref> The project was completed in December 2017. |
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==References== |
==References== |
Revision as of 18:52, 8 May 2024
![]() Thomas G. Thompson in Fremantle, Australia
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History | |
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![]() | |
Name | Thomas G. Thompson |
Namesake | Thomas Thompson, Oceanographer |
Operator | University of Washington |
Builder | Halter Marine Inc. |
Cost | $20.9 million |
Laid down | March 29, 1989 |
Launched | July 27, 1990 |
Completed | July 8, 1991 |
Homeport | Seattle, Washington |
Identification |
|
Status | Active |
General characteristics | |
Tonnage | 3,095 gross tons |
Displacement | 2,155 tons light; 3,051 full load |
Length | 274 ft (84 m) |
Beam | 52.5 ft (16.0 m) |
Draft | 19 ft (5.8 m) |
Propulsion | diesel-electric, two 3,000hp z-drives |
Speed | 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
Complement | 23 civilian mariners, up to 36 scientists |
R/V Thomas G. Thompson (AGOR-23) is an oceanographic research vessel and lead ship of her class, owned by the United States Office of Naval Research and operated under a bareboat charterparty agreement by the University of Washington as part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) fleet.
Construction and characteristics
The Navy issued bid solicitations to the shipbuilding industry for a new oceanographic ship on May 27, 1987.[1] Halter Marine, Inc. won the contract for the construction of Thomas G. Thompson in June 1988. Her original contract price was $20.9 million. She was built in Moss Point, Mississippi.[2] Her keel was laid down on March 29, 1989, and she was launched on July 27, 1990. Thomas G. Thompson was christened by Dr. Dora Henry, Oceanography Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington.[3] The ship was completed and delivered to the Office of Naval Research on July 8, 1991.[4][5][6]
Thomas G. Thompson is 274 feet (84 m) long, with a beam of 52.5 feet (16.0 m) and a full-load draft of 19 feet (5.8 m).[7] The hull is of welded steel plate construction. She displaces 3,051 long tons at full load.[6] Her gross tonnage is calculated at 3,095 and her net tonnage is 928. She is classed by the American Bureau of Shipping.[8]
She has a cruising speed of 12 knots and a maximum speed of 15 knots.[9] She has six diesel generators, three 1,500 kW and three 750 kW, which provide electrical and propulsion power to the ship. The generators, in turn, power two 3,000 hp DC electric motors which provide the ship's main propulsion. The DC motors power two 360-degree azimuth z-drives with four-bladed fixed-pitch propellers. The ship also has a 360-degree azimuth Tees White Gill water jet bow thruster driven by a separate 1,100 hp DC motor.[10] Controls are installed to integrate the z-drives and bow thruster into a dynamic positioning system. Engineers can select fuel-efficient combinations of generators to power the ship whether she is towing an instrument at 1 knot, transiting at 15 knots, or anywhere in between.[11] Her fuel tanks can hold up to 280,000 US gallons (1,100,000 L) giving her an unrefueled range of 12,000 miles at 15 knots.[12][9]
Thomas G. Thompson normally sails with 21 civilian officers and crew, 2 marine technicians, and up to 36 scientists.[13] The crew is unionized, represented by the Inland Boatmen's Union of the Pacific.[14]
To support her research activities she has 4,000 square feet of wet and dry laboratory space, multi-beam mapping sonar and other sensors, and a number of cranes and winches to lower and tow various instruments. The A-frame on her stern, the largest crane aboard, is rated for a 15-ton static load.[10]
The University of Washington won the right to operate Thomas G. Thompson through a competitive bidding process. Invitations to bid were issued on June 5, 1987.[1] Among the qualifications for bidders specified by the Office of Naval Research was the return of an earlier generation AGOR-3 class oceanographic vessel that the Navy could retire when the new ship was delivered. As a practical matter, this limited bidding to the University of Washington, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory of Columbia University. The Office of Naval Research announced in November 1987 that it had selected the University of Washington to operate the then unnamed AGOR-23.[15] Contacts were signed with the Navy in June 1988.[16]
The ship is named for Thomas Gordon Thompson, who founded the University of Washington's Oceanographic Laboratories in 1930. The ship is designated by the Navy as an AGOR or "Auxiliary General-purpose Oceanographic Research" ship. She is the second research vessel named after Dr. Thompson. The first, USNS Thomas G. Thompson (T-AGOR-9), also operated by the University of Washington, was launched in 1963.[17]
Sister ships
Thomas G. Thompson is the lead ship in her class which also includes RV Roger Revelle (AGOR-24), operated by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, RV Atlantis (AGOR-25), operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and NOAAS Ronald H. Brown (R 104), operated by NOAA. The first three are owned by the US Navy while the last ship is a NOAA-owned vessel.
Operating history
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/RV_Thomas_G._Thompson_in_2018.jpg/220px-RV_Thomas_G._Thompson_in_2018.jpg)
Thomas G. Thompson is designed for long-endurance research missions in deep ocean waters and typically spends 260 to 300 days a year at sea.[18] While she has sailed around the Earth on almost every sea and ocean, she has spent the bulk of her career in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.[19] The hull is not ice-strengthened,[9]
While the civilian crew is assigned to the ship permanently, the scientists rotate aboard in support of specific research programs. These have been quite varied, and include global warming,[20] hydrothermal vents,[21] neutrino detection,[22] mapping ocean currents[23] and seamounts,[24] abyssal phytoplankton,[25] underwater volcanic eruptions,[26] algal blooms,[27] and monsoons in the Indian Ocean,[28] among many others.
The vessel also serves as an educational platform for science students of all types from elementary to graduate levels.[29] The University of Washington funds 45 days of ship time for its own students each year.[30] In 2004 this cost just over $1 million .[31]
Thomas G. Thompson's expected service life was 30 years, which would have seen the ship retired in 2021.[32] Instead, on October 16, 2014, the University of Washington issued a request for proposals for a mid-life refit. The contract was awarded to the Vigor Industrial shipyard in Seattle. Her renovation began in June 2016. The project ultimately cost $52 million, jointly funded by the Office of Naval Research, the National Science Foundation, and the University of Washington. The work is expected to extend the vessel's life by 10 to 15 years. During the refit the propulsion system was largely replaced with new diesel generators, overhauled propulsion motors, and new switchboards, control systems, and alarms, electrical cable and pipework was replaced as well as the air-conditioning, refrigeration, sewage, and freshwater systems. New research and navigation instruments were also added.[33] The project was completed in December 2017.
References
- ^ a b Meeting Minutes 9-10 November, 1987 (PDF). UNOLS Fleet Improvement Committee. 1987.
- ^ "Trinity Marine Group Earns $21 Million Job". Daily Review. October 19, 1988.
- ^ "Update on R/V Thomas G. Thompson" (PDF). Research Vessel Operators Committee Newsletter. 14. University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System. August 31, 1990.
- ^ Introduction Archived 2008-02-15 at the Wayback Machine, Operations Manual, R/V Thomas G. Thompson, created April 1997, last updated 10 April 2006. Accessed online 30 April 2008.
- ^ "Shipyard finishes work on Navy's research ship". Mobile Register. July 21, 1991.
- ^ a b "Naval Vessel Register - THOMAS G THOMPSON (AGOR 23)". www.nvr.navy.mil. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
- ^ "RV Thomas G Thompson". www.ocean.washington.edu. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
- ^ "USCG PSIX Search Page". cgmix.uscg.mil. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
- ^ a b c US Academic Research Fleet Vessel Specifications. University National Oceanographic Laboratory System. 2015.
- ^ a b "WOLF : WORLD OF LARGE FACILITIES". wolf.zeus.go.kr. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
- ^ "Jurassic Ocean Crust Magnetic Survey 2011". www3.kutztown.edu. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
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