NOAAS Peirce

	USC&GS Peirce (CSS 28)
History
United States
Name	USC&GS Peirce (CSS 28)
Namesake	Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914), U.S. Coast Survey and U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey employee (1859-1891), an intellectual, physical scientist, and philosopher
Builder	Marietta Manufacturing Company, Point Pleasant, West Virginia
Launched	October 1962
Acquired	May 1963 (delivery)
Commissioned	6 May 1963
Fate	Transferred to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 3 October 1970
United States
Name	NOAAS Peirce (S 328)
Namesake	Previous name retained
Acquired	Transferred from U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 3 October 1970
Decommissioned	1 May 1992
Homeport	Norfolk, Virginia
Identification	Radio call sign WTEQ; ;
Fate	Donated to Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum 1992
United States
Name	MV Elizabeth M. Fisher
Namesake	Elizabeth M. Fisher, co-founder of the Fisher House Foundation and wife of Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum founder Zachary Fisher
Owner	Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
Operator	Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
Port of registry	United States
Acquired	Donated by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 1992
Homeport	New York, New York
Fate	Sold to private owner 1999
Notes	Floating classroom and archaeological research ship
United States
Name	MV Avedonia
Owner	Private ownership
Port of registry	United States
Acquired	Sold by Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum 1999
Homeport	Dover, Delaware
Identification	IMO number: 6407561
Status	Active
Notes	Private yacht
General characteristics (as survey ship)
Class and type	Peirce-class survey ship
Type	S1-MT-59a
Tonnage	696 gross register tons ; 151 net tons ; 206 deadweight tons ;
Displacement	907 tons
Length	49.7 m (163 ft)
Beam	10.1 m (33 ft)
Draft	3.4 m (11 ft) (maximum); 3.7 m (12 ft) (with IDSSS dome);
Propulsion	Two geared 800-bhp (597-kW) General Motors diesel engines, two shafts, 4,300 U.S. gallons (16,277 liters fuel
Speed	12.0 knots
Range	5,700 nm
Endurance	20 days
Crew	33 (8 officers, 25 other crew, 2 scientists) plus up to 6 temporarily embarked personnel

Last updated December 24, 2023

NOAAS Peirce (S 328), was an American survey ship that was in commission in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from 1970 to 1992. Previously, she had been in commission in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey from 1963 to 1970 as USC&GS Peirce (CSS 28).

Construction and commissioning

Peirce was built a cost of $2,300,000 (USD) as a "coastal survey ship" (CSS) for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey by the Marietta Manufacturing Company at Point Pleasant, West Virginia.^[1] She was launched in October 1962 and delivered in May 1963.^[2]^[3] The Coast and Geodetic Survey commissioned her on 6 May 1963^[4] at the Alabama State Docks in Mobile, Alabama,^[4] as USC&GS Peirce (CSS 28),^[2]^[3]^[5] the first and only Coast and Geodetic Survey ship of the name. When the Coast and Geodetic Survey and other United States Government agencies merged to form NOAA on 3 October 1970, Peirce became a part of the NOAA fleet as NOAAS Peirce (S 328), thus far the only NOAA ship to bear the name.

Capabilities

Peirce had a two-drum oceanographic winch with a maximum pull of 1,500 pounds (680 kg). The upper drum had 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) of 0.3-inch (7.62-mm) electrical cable, while the lower drum had 15,000 feet (4,600 meters) of 5/16-inch (7.9-mm) cable. She had a 27-foot (8.2-meter) telescoping boom with a lifting capacity of 2,500 pounds (1,100 kg) and a 27-foot (8.2-meter) articulating boom with a lifting capacity of 2,768 pounds (1,256 kg), as well as a movable A-frame.^[3]

For acoustic hydrography and bathymetry, the ship had a deep-water echosounder, a shallow-water echosounder-lOOKhz, and a hydrographic survey sounder. To process data, she had the National Ocean Service 's Hydrochart system, which employed a PDP/8E computer to acquire and process hydrographic data in real time, generate a real-time position-corrected plot of sounding data, provide steering commands to the helmsman, and generate a punched paper tape for shore-based processing of sounding dara.^[3]

Peirce had an ice-strengthened steel hull.^[3]

Peirce carried two 29-foot (8.8-meter) aluminum-hulled diesel-powered Jensen survey launches, each equipped with the same Hydrochart system as aboard Peirce. For utility and rescue purposes, she also carried two open boats with gasoline-powered outboard motors, a 16-foot (4.9-meter) Boston Whaler fiberglass-hulled boat and 17-foot (5.2-meter) Monark aluminum-hulled boat.^[3]

Operational career

From her home port at Norfolk, Virginia, Peirce conducted hydrographic and bathymetric surveys involving nautical charting and ocean mapping, primarily along the United States East Coast and United States Gulf Coast and off territories of the United States in the Caribbean.^[1]^[3]

NOAA decommissioned Peirce on 1 May 1992.^[5]

Floating classroom and yacht

In 1992, Peirce was donated to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City. The museum acquired her for use as a floating classroom and archaeological research ship and renamed her MV Elizabeth M. Fisher in 1993. In 1999 the museum sold her for private use, and in 2000 she returned to the name MV Peirce. By 2001 she was operating as the private yacht MV Avedonia.^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]

Related Research Articles

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References

1 2 "CHARLES S. PEIRCE". Archived from the original on 29 October 2004.
1 2 "We couldn't find that Web page (Error 404) - Government of Canada Web Usability theme / Nous ne pouvons trouver cette page Web (Erreur 404) - Thème de la facilité d'emploi Web du gouvernement du Canada" (PDF). www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ships of the NOAA fleet. MBLWHOI Library. Rockville, Md. : U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of NOAA Corps Operations. 1989.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
1 2 "Invitation to commissioning ceremony of Coast and Geodetic Survey Ship PEIRCE on May 6, 1963". Archived from the original on 4 December 2013.
1 2 3 "PORT". conceptualstructures.org. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
↑ "Newsletter: Vol 1, #1". peirce.sitehost.iu.edu. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
↑ "AVEDONIA - 6407561 - YACHT". maritime-connector.com. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
↑ "Avedonia". Archived from the original on 2 June 2014.

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[noaahistory-1] 1 2 "CHARLES S. PEIRCE". Archived from the original on 29 October 2004.

[appendix-2] 1 2 "We couldn't find that Web page (Error 404) - Government of Canada Web Usability theme / Nous ne pouvons trouver cette page Web (Erreur 404) - Thème de la facilité d'emploi Web du gouvernement du Canada" (PDF). www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca. Retrieved 2020-09-21.

[noaaships-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ships of the NOAA fleet. MBLWHOI Library. Rockville, Md. : U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of NOAA Corps Operations. 1989.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

[commissioning-4] 1 2 "Invitation to commissioning ceremony of Coast and Geodetic Survey Ship PEIRCE on May 6, 1963". Archived from the original on 4 December 2013.

[port-5] 1 2 3 "PORT". conceptualstructures.org. Retrieved 2020-09-21.

[6] "Newsletter: Vol 1, #1". peirce.sitehost.iu.edu. Retrieved 2020-09-21.

[7] "AVEDONIA - 6407561 - YACHT". maritime-connector.com. Retrieved 2020-09-21.

[8] "Avedonia". Archived from the original on 2 June 2014.

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