RV ''Clifford A. Barnes'' was a

research vessel A research vessel (RV or R/V) is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated ...

that was owned by the

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...

and operated as part of the

University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System The University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) is a group of academic institutions and National Laboratories organized in the United States to coordinate research vessel use for federally funded ocean research. Authority The UNOLS ...

fleet. The

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

School of Oceanography operated the vessel under a

charter-party A charterparty (sometimes charter-party) is a maritime contract between a shipowner and a "charterer" for the hire of either a ship for the carriage of passengers or cargo, or a yacht for pleasure purposes. Charter party is a contract of carriage ...

agreement.

History

''Clifford A. Barnes'' began service as a

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

icebreaking small harbor tug, . Built by

Western Boat Building Co Western Boat Building Company was a company based in Tacoma, Washington from 1916 until 1982. The company was founded by Martin Petrich, Joe M. Martinac and William Vickart. Within a few years, Joe Martinac left the partnership to go to the Tacoma S ...

in 1965 for ice operations, search and rescue, and pollution response, she was one of fifteen of her class ordered by the Coast Guard. She was decommissioned in 1982 and turned over to the National Science Foundation, although ships of her class remain in service by the USCG.

Research vessel mission

The University of Washington School of Oceanography uses ''Barnes'' for

oceanographic Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamic ...

and fishery research in the protected

littoral The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal a ...

waters of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. The vessel serves as platform for research on the

fjord In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Förden and East Jutland Fjorde, Germany, ...

system of

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

and the surrounding bodies of water. She supports research best done in sheltered bodies of water, and on the effects of populated areas on coastal areas. ''Barnes'' has a small science space, two winches, a crane, and can house up to six scientists and students. Cruises are generally only one day in length, although they sometimes run as long as six days. The university's use of ''Barnes'' is supported through a combination of grants and contracts, the university's operating funds, and self-sustaining revenue. In early May 2013 the ''Clifford A. Barnes'' sailed on its 1,000th cruise.

Community outreach

An important non-research function of ''Clifford A. Barnes'' is to serve as a vehicle for community outreach. The main purpose of this outreach is to educate students about the

marine sciences Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamic ...

. This is primarily done through a two-day open house for local students grades 3–12. Faculty, crew, and students give tours of the ship, as well as demonstrations of marine research.

Replacement

Although an October 2011 National Science Foundation inspection revealed that ''Barnes'' was still in generally good condition, its limited scientific and berthing capacity prompted the University of Washington to look for a replacement. Although the replacement ship would still operate primarily in and around Puget Sound, Jensen Maritime Consultants were commissioned to draw up plans for a vessel that will feature faster cruising speed, extended range, and increased berthing, among other improvements. However, the National Science Foundation recommended that RV ''Clifford A. Barnes'' stay in service through 2016. The RV ''Clifford A. Barnes'' was eventually retired and replaced by the in 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clifford A. Barnes 1965 ships University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System research vessels Ships built in Tacoma, Washington Ships built by the Western Boat Building Company