$56m Allocated to Refurbish Three British Research Ships

The National Oceanography Center (NOC) is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the scientific research ship RRS Discovery’s predecessor being designated as a Royal Research Ship (RRS), while the modern RRS Discovery becomes the first Research Vessel to be refitted at Babcock’s Rosyth facility, 35 miles away from the birthplace of the original vessel in Dundee.

To mark this 100th anniversary, the current RRS Discovery will also join its ancestral inspiration, the original RRS Discovery in Dundee from
June 2-4, 2023, where the past and present will stand in each other’s presence.

During her ten years on the sea, the current RRS Discovery has travelled 227,554.21 nautical miles, taking part in 56 expeditions to explore the world's oceans.

Babcock’s International Rosyth shipyard was recently awarded $56 million by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to maintain its fleet of scientific research vessels – including the RRS Discovery, RRS James Cook and RRS Sir David Attenborough. RRS Discovery will be the first to undergo a refit at Babcock’s Rosyth facility in Fife, Scotland.

During this refit, RRS Discovery will be in drydock to allow the maintenance team access to clean the hull and propulsion equipment, which will help to lower fuel usage and increase overall speed making her more efficient for future expeditions. Safety checks will also be conducted by a surveyor to ensure the vessel is safe to operate for another year. RRS Discovery will then undertake her post refit trial expedition to the North Atlantic over the course of 19 days.

The RRS James Cook, also operated by NOC, and the RRS Sir David Attenborough, which is operated by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS)
are both scheduled for upcoming refits in Scotland.

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Image credit Brian Donovan