A tour of the RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer

Well we are a week into our research cruise and well into the rough
seas of the Southern Ocean! We are now in the Antarctic Circumpolar
Current and have wave swells of 16-20 ft. and winds above 40 knots!
Today I am going to share with you some fun facts about the research
vessel, the Nathaniel B. Palmer and some of the ship's amazing
facilities.

Commissioned in 1992, the R/V Palmer was built by the US to maintain an
active and influential presence in scientific research in Antarctica. It
is ice-classed ABS-A2 which means the vessel is capable of breaking
three feet of level ice at three knots, allowing research to be done in
ice-covered regions that were not previously accessible. Science
programs are funded by the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar
Programs (NSF/OPP) and the ship is chartered by the Antarctic Support
Commission (ASC).

The essentials:
Builder: North American Shipbuilding, Larose, Louisiana
Installed Power: 1 2,720 Horsepower from four Caterpillar Diesels
Length: 94 m (308 ft.)
Width (Beam): 18.3 m (60 ft.)
Depth: 6.9 m (22.5 ft.)
Weight: 6,174 GT
Endurance: 75 days
Lab space: 7 labs, 5,600 sq. ft.
Accommodations: Science party: 43
Total capacity: 70

So you might be wondering who was Nathaniel Palmer? Nathaniel Brown
Palmer was an American seal hunter, explorer, merchant mariner and ship
builder who lived from 1799 to 1877. "Captain Nat" and his men were the
first to discover the Antarctic Peninsula and some historians credit him
with the discovery of the Antarctic continent.

Fun facts:
•The Palmer has completed over 80 research cruises
•During the Austral winter of 2003, the Palmer completed an
Antarctic-Arctic transit to complete its first Arctic Circle science
cruise from Barrow, Alaska
•The ship has a fuel capacity of more than 460,000 gallons.
•The Palmer can hold 7,200 gallons of helicopter fuel plus two
medium-sized helicopters (but there are none on the ship currently)!
•More than 3,000 steel plates were used to build the ship and the bow
plates (for breaking ice!) are 1 9/16" thick and twice as strong as
regular steel!

So what about the ship's interior? Well, there are several large
science labs, a computer lab, conference room, galley (for meals), movie
lounge (with fussball table!), gym, sauna (seriously!) and sleeping
quarters with a bunk bed and bathroom.

Stay tuned in the next few weeks to hear about the science operations
aboard the R/V Palmer and what we do for fun and to stay sane during
many long days at sea!