RV Sikuliaq
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RV ''Sikuliaq'' is an American
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 ...
owned by the
National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...
and operated by the
University of Alaska Fairbanks The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF or Alaska) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-, National Sea Grant College Program, sea-, and National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, space-grant research university in ...
College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. Built in 2014 by
Marinette Marine Corporation Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) is an American shipbuilding firm in Marinette, Wisconsin. Marinette Marine was a subsidiary of Manitowoc Marine Group of Wisconsin from 2000 to 2009, when it was sold to Fincantieri Marine Group. History M ...
in
Marinette, Wisconsin Marinette is a city in and the county seat of Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the south bank of the Menominee River, at its mouth at Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay, part of Lake Michigan; to the north is Stephe ...
, the $200 million vessel replaced the 1966-built research vessel ''Alpha Helix'' that was retired in 2007. ''Sikuliaq'', named after the Iñupiaq word for "young sea ice" and pronounced "see-KOO-lee-auk", is homeported in
Seward, Alaska Seward (Alutiiq language, Alutiiq: ; Denaʼina language, Dena'ina: ''Tl'ubugh'') is an incorporated home rule city in Alaska, United States. Located on Resurrection Bay, a fjord of the Gulf of Alaska on the Kenai Peninsula, Seward is situated ...
.


Construction

The original science mission requirement of the new research vessel was prepared by a committee of the UNOLS Fleet Improvement Committee in 1998. In 2001, Congress appropriated $1 million for a design study of a suitable vessel.About the Sikuliaq
UAF College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences.
The vessel, called Alaska Region Research Vessel (ARRV), was designed by naval architecture and marine engineering fir
Glosten
in 2004. In May 2009, the National Science Foundation announced that it had received funding for the construction of an ice-capable research vessel designed to support scientific research in high-latitude waters.NSF announces funding for Alaska Region Research Vessel
University of Alaska Fairbanks, 27 May 2009.
In December 2009, the $123 million contract for the construction of the $200 million vessel was awarded to Marinette Marine Corporation of Marinette, Wisconsin, and the ceremonial signing of the contract was held on 5 February 2010. In January 2010, the University of Alaska Fairbanks chose an Alaska Native name ''Sikuliaq'', meaning "young sea ice" in the Iñupiaq language, after receiving more than 150 suggestions.University research vessel gets Alaska Native name
University of Alaska, 13 January 2010.
The keel of the vessel was laid down on 11 April 2011 and she was launched on 13 October 2012. Although ''Sikuliaq'' was initially expected to arrive in her homeport of Seward, Alaska, in January 2014,USA: Global Class Ice-Capable RV Sikuliaq Hits the Water
Shipbuilding Tribune, 14 October 2012.
R/V Sikuliaq Events
UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences.
her delivery was delayed due to technical problems and she spent her first winter in the Great Lakes. ''Sikuliaq'' was finally handed over to the National Science Foundation on 6 June 2014. During the summer of 2014, she passed through the
Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...
and began science operations in the equatorial Pacific and along the US west coast in the autumn. She then headed to Alaska, where the vessel arrived in February 2015, making a port visit in Ketchikan.R/V Sikuliaq makes first Alaska stop in Ketchikan
Kheiry, Leila.
KRBD KRBD is a non-commercial radio station in Ketchikan, Alaska, broadcasting on 105.3 FM. The station airs public radio programming from the National Public Radio network, the BBC World Service, and is a member of CoastAlaska. KRBD also airs some ...
, 10 February 2015
She was officially commissioned in March 2015 at her home port of Seward.


Description


Mission and capabilities

''Sikuliaq'' has accommodations for up to 24 scientists and students per cruise, including those with disabilities, to conduct multidisciplinary studies and to facilitate broadband real-time virtual participation of classroom students in expeditions, including remotely operated underwater vehicles. Sikuliaq supports the collection of sediment samples from the seafloor, remotely operated vehicles, the use of a flexible suite of winches to raise and lower scientific equipment, and surveys throughout the water column and sea bottom using an extensive set of research instrumentation. The vessel is designed to have the lowest possible environmental impact, including a low underwater radiated noise signature for marine mammal and fisheries work. One of the most advanced research vessels ever built, ''Sikuliaq'' has extensive scientific facilities. In addition to of built-in laboratories, she can accommodate four 20-foot scientific containers on the aft deck. In addition, ''Sikuliaq'' is fitted with flexible over-side handling equipment such as an A-frame in the stern as well as a number of science winches and cranes on the aft deck. She also has a retractable transducer centerboard (drop keel) for deploying various sensors under the vessel.


Technical details

''Sikuliaq'' is on and has a maximum beam of . At a displacement of , she draws of water. Designed for operations in ice-infested waters, the vessel has a sloping
icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...
bow and a hull that is two feet wider at the bow than in the stern to reduce ice resistance.R/V Sikuliaq Inboard Profile
UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences.
She is served by a crew of 20 plus two marine technicians. ''Sikuliaq'' has a diesel-electric powertrain in which the main diesel generators produce power for electric motors coupled to the propellers. She is powered by two 16-cylinder and two
12-cylinder A V12 engine is a twelve-cylinder piston engine where two banks of six cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V12 engines are more common than V10 engines. However, they are less common than V8 engines. The fi ...
MTU 4000 series high speed
diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...
s.Sikuliaq Specification
Professional Mariner.
''Sikuliaq'' is one of the first vessels ever to be fitted with Icepod propulsion units,
Wärtsilä Wärtsilä Oyj Abp (), trading internationally as Wärtsilä Corporation, is a Finnish corporation, Finnish company which manufactures and services power sources and other equipment in the Marine propulsion, marine and energy markets. The core ...
's brand of ice-strengthened
azimuth thruster An azimuth thruster is a configuration of marine propellers placed in pods that can be rotated to any horizontal angle (azimuth), making a rudder redundant. These give ships better maneuverability than a fixed propeller and rudder system. Type ...
s that can be rotated 360 degrees about the vertical axis. The
Z-drive A Z-drive is a type of marine propulsion unit. Specifically, it is an azimuth thruster. The pod can rotate 360 degrees allowing for rapid changes in thrust direction and thus vessel direction. This eliminates the need for a conventional rudder. ...
thrusters are "pulling", meaning that the propellers are facing to the direction the vessel is moving to improve the hydrodynamic efficiency. In addition, they are "can-mounted", meaning that the thrusters can be disconnected and lifted off for maintenance without docking the vessel.The Icepod Revolution
. Wärtsilä.
She is also fitted with a
bow thruster Manoeuvering thrusters (bow thrusters and stern thrusters) are transversal propulsion devices built into or mounted to either the Bow (watercraft), bow or stern (front or back, respectively) of a ship or boat to make it more manoeuvrable. Bow th ...
to assist maneuvering at low speeds.R/V Sikuliaq first & second platform
UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences.
The maximum speed of ''Sikuliaq'' in calm water is . In addition, she can break first-year sea ice up to thick at a constant speed of — which inspired her name. She also has
dynamic positioning Dynamic positioning (DP) is a computer-controlled system to automatically maintain a vessel's position and heading by using its own propellers and thrusters. Position reference sensors, combined with wind sensors, motion sensors and gyrocompas ...
capability. ''Sikuliaq'' has an operational endurance of 45 days and can sail at .


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sikuliaq 2012 ships Research vessels of the National Science Foundation Science and technology in Alaska Seward, Alaska University of Alaska Fairbanks University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System research vessels Ships built by Marinette Marine