Frank Herr News

The research vessel Neil Armstrong arrived to its home port at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) dock for the first time Wednesday, escorted by the WHOI coastal research vessel R/V Tioga, two Coast Guard vessels and fireboats from neighboring towns. “What a wonderful day for Woods Hole, for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, for Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the entire ocean science community,” enthused WHOI President and Director Mark Abbott. “We’re very proud to have been selected by the Office of Naval Research to operate the Neil Armstrong. Six years ago, the U.S.

Construction for two new research ships funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) officially got underway with a keel-laying and dedication ceremony Aug. 17 in Anacortes, Wash. Contracts for both state-of-the-art Ocean-class Auxiliary General Purpose Oceanographic Research (AGOR) vessels were awarded in late 2011 and earlier this year. During the traditional ceremony, the first pieces of steel comprising the keels for AGOR 27 and 28 were etched with the keel certifiers’ initials. “Gaining exact knowledge and understanding of the oceans is critical to fulfilling today’s and tomorrow’s Navy and Marine Corp missions,” said Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Matthew Klunder, who spoke at the ceremony.

The U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced the shipyard responsible for constructing the next chapter in ocean exploration for Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. The new research vessel will be owned by ONR for the Department of the Navy and operated by Scripps under charter party agreement. Dakota Creek Industries Inc. (DCI) of Anacortes, Wash., will build AGOR 28, a new “Ocean Class” research vessel that will advance Scripps’ pursuits of the planet’s most vital environmental and scientific challenges. Specifically designed to operate globally, this vessel will support both U.S. Navy and national oceanographic research objectives.