RV Laurence M. Gould

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Laurence M Gould.JPG
RV Laurence M. Gould in Punta Arenas, Chile.
History
Flag of the United States.svg United States
NameRV Laurence M. Gould
Namesake Laurence McKinley Gould
Owner Edison Chouest Offshore
OperatorAntarctic Support Contract [1] [2] for the National Science Foundation. [3]
Builder North American Shipbuilding Company
Yard number154
Laid down1994
Launched1997
Decommissioned2024
Homeport Punta Arenas, Patagonia
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
TypeAntarctic Research & Supply Vessel (Subchapter U)
Tonnage2,966  GT
Length70 m (230 ft) [4]
Beam17 m (56 ft) [4]
Draught(Loadline): 19.417 ft (5.9 m)
Ice classABS A1
Installed power2 × Caterpillar 3606 diesel engines, 4,575 hp (3,412 kW)
Speed11.3 knots (20.9 km/h; 13.0 mph) (max) / 8.6 knots (15.9 km/h; 9.9 mph) (average) [4]
Endurance75 days
Complement26 research scientists

RV Laurence M. Gould is an icebreaker that was used by researchers from the United States' National Science Foundation. [3] [1] for research in the Southern Ocean from 1998 to 2024. The vessel is named after Laurence McKinley Gould, an American scientist who had explored both the Arctic and Antarctic. [5] He was second in command of Admiral Richard E. Byrd's first expedition to Antarctica from 1928 to 1930. He helped to set up an exploration base at Little America on the Ross Ice Shelf at the Bay of Whales.

Gould died in 1995 at the age of 98, and in the same year the National Science Foundation initiated the charter for the services of this ice-strengthened vessel to further its studies and knowledge of the Antarctic Peninsula and Southern Ocean. [2]

The ARSV Laurence M. Gould was operated by the Antarctic Support Contract (ASC) [1] [2] on a long-term charter from Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO). ASC staffed the vessel with a charter representative to coordinate cruise planning and scheduling, and with technical staff to support science operations. ECO provides the vessel master, ice pilot, and crew.

The vessel charter with Edison-Chouest Offshore expired July 16, 2024 with the National Science Foundation’s Office of Polar Programs announcing in April 2024 that the charter would not be renewed on conclusion of the 2023-24 Antarctic season. [6] The United States Antarctic Program confirmed the end of the Gould's commission in August 2024. [7]

The Gould, completed in 1998, is 230 feet long and is ice-classed ABS-A1, capable of breaking one foot of level ice with continuous forward motion. The Gould can accommodate 37 scientists and staff in one- and two-person staterooms. The Gould acted as a resupply ship and does long term environmental research [8] in the Drake Passage and the Antarctic Peninsula, shuttling between Punta Arenas, Chile and Palmer Station, Antarctica. She replaced the RV Polar Duke as the main supply ship to Palmer Station.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Lockheed Martin - Antarctic Service Contract". Lockheed Martin. Archived from the original on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Usap Portal: Science and Support in Antarctica - Laurence M. Gould". United States Antarctic Program. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  3. 1 2 "R/V Laurence M. Gould". National Science Foundation . Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  4. 1 2 3 "Laurence M. Gould". MarineTraffic.com. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  5. ↑ "Laurence McKinley Gould Online Exhibit". Carleton College . Retrieved 2007-08-16.
  6. ↑ "Non-Renewal of ARSV Laurence M. Gould Charter: Transition Plans for Antarctic Research Support". U.S. National Science Foundation, Office of Polar Programs. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  7. ↑ "The USAP Portal: Science and Support in Antarctica - Research Vessel Laurence M. Gould Completes 27-Year Run". www.usap.gov. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  8. ↑ "Palmer LTER".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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