News Release 14-039
Breaking the Ice
R/V Sikuliaq completes 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 Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.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.
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Capt. Dan Hobbs operates azimuthing thrusters, which give the ship exceptional maneuverability.
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R/V Sikuliaq backs up and rams through to break snow-packed ice.
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R/V Sikuliaq tangles with a snowstorm out on Green Bay, breaking through two feet of lake ice.
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Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay alongside R/V Sikuliaq.
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R/V Sikuliaq crew tests science handling systems on Lake Michigan.
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Media Contacts
Ivy F. Kupec, NSF, (703) 292-8796, email: ikupec@nsf.gov
Related Websites
UAF Sikuliaq: https://www.sfos.uaf.edu/sikuliaq/launch/index.html
Sikuliaq Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/RV-Sikuliaq/148646505192538
NSF award information: http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1058367&HistoricalAwards=false
NSF Science Nation piece on Sikuliaq: http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/sikuliaq.jsp
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