RV Blue Heron

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RV Blue Heron.jpg
The RV Blue Heron in Superior, Wisconsin
History
NameBlue Heron
Namesake Great blue heron
Owner University of Minnesota Duluth
Operator University of Minnesota Duluth/Large Lakes Observatory
Port of registry Duluth, Minnesota
Launched1985
Acquired1997
RenamedFairtry: 1985-1997 Blue Heron: 1997-Present
Statusin active service
General characteristics
Type Research vessel
Displacement278 long tons
Length86 feet 3 inches
Beam23 feet 4 inches
Draft12 feet
Decks3
Installed power1 x Caterpillar 3508TA diesel
Propulsion1 x stainless steel prop
SpeedCruising: 9 knots Maximum: 10 knots
Endurance21 days
Crew5 crew, 6 scientists

The Blue Heron is a research vessel serving on the Laurentian Great Lakes. She is owned by the University of Minnesota Duluth, and operated by the Large Lakes Observatory in partnership with the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System. [1] The Blue Heron is the largest research ship owned by a university operating on the Great Lakes, and the second-smallest UNOLS vessel by LOA. [2]

Contents

History

The Blue Heron was built in 1985 as a fishing vessel and christened "Fairtry" before being purchased by the University of Minnesota in 1997 and converted to a research vessel for deployment in 1998. [3] The ship will celebrate its 25th year of scientific service in 2023.

Activities

The Blue Heron conducts limnological research on the five Great Lakes throughout the ice-free season. Its capabilities include water and sediment sampling and analysis, sensor launching and retrieval, and radar/sonar scanning. [4] In addition to its research capabilities, the ship also hosts public science outreach and education events in Duluth and other communities. [5]

Related Research Articles

The University of Minnesota system is a public university system with five campuses spread across the U.S. state of Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duluth, Minnesota</span> City in Minnesota, United States

Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for tourism and cargo shipping. Commodities shipped from the Port of Duluth include coal, iron ore, grain, limestone, cement, salt, wood pulp, steel coil, and wind turbine components. Duluth is south of the Iron Range and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Minnesota</span> Public university in Minnesota, U.S.

The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. The Twin Cities campus comprises locations in Minneapolis and Falcon Heights, a suburb of St. Paul, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) apart. The Twin Cities campus is the oldest and largest in the University of Minnesota system and has the ninth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,376 students at the start of the 2021–22 academic year. It is the flagship institution of the University of Minnesota System, and is organized into 19 colleges, schools, and other major academic units.

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The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) is a public university in Duluth, Minnesota. It is part of the University of Minnesota system and offers 16 bachelor's degrees in 88 majors, graduate programs in 25 different fields, and a two-year program at the School of Medicine and a four-year College of Pharmacy program.

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The Large Lakes Observatory is a research institute located in Duluth, Minnesota, USA which studies the major lakes of the world. The researchers focus on a variety of sciences including aquatic chemistry, geochemistry and paleoclimatology. Its stated purpose dedicates the LLO to "performing innovative, cross-disciplinary research, education, and outreach that advance scientific understanding of Earth’s large lakes for the benefit of society and the sustainability of freshwaters." The parent institution of LLO is the University of Minnesota Duluth.

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References

  1. "UNOLS Designated Vessels | UNOLS". www.unols.org. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  2. "Blue Heron | Swenson College of Science and Engineering". scse.d.umn.edu. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  3. "A Great Lake voyage aboard the R/V Blue Heron". Science Buzz. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  4. Large Lakes Observatory University of Minnesota, Duluth. "Research Vessel BLUE HERON Cruise Planning Manual" (PDF).
  5. "LLO Science on Deck | Swenson College of Science and Engineering". scse.d.umn.edu. Retrieved 2022-11-11.