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News Release 14-039

Breaking the Ice

R/V Sikuliaq completes preliminary acceptance trials

R/V Sikuliaq deparing the Wisconsin shipyard

R/V Sikuliaq departs Wisconsin shipyard for five days of preliminary acceptance trials.


March 20, 2014

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

The National Science Foundation's (NSF) ice-capable research vessel R/V Sikuliaq conducted preliminary acceptance trials on the Great Lakes at the end of February, and NSF planners hope to have her in the Washington, D.C., area for a summer visit while completing the remainder of her testing along the east coast.

The NSF-owned research vessel is a 261-foot ship that the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences will operate as part of the U.S. academic research fleet. R/V Sikuliaq is uniquely equipped to operate in ice-choked waters and will be able to do so in extreme ecosystems, especially in the Arctic region, serving the science and engineering research communities for decades to come.

By late September, R/V Sikuliaq is expected to begin funded science, but the historically cold winter on the Great Lakes gave an ideal opportunity to assess her performance in ice ahead of more formal trials. Video is available of R/V Sikuliaq returning from her preliminary acceptance trials, and here are a few snapshots courtesy of Matthew Hawkins, a program director in NSF's Division of Ocean Sciences.

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Ivy F. Kupec, NSF, (703) 292-8796, email: ikupec@nsf.gov

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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