RV Zephyr

Last updated
History
Flag of the United States.svg United States
Name
  • San Francisco (-2001)
  • RV Zephyr (2001-2013)
  • "Zephyr" (2013-present)
Owner
OperatorOutbound Marine LLC
Builder Colberg boat works
Laid down1972
Launched1973
Identification
StatusActive as of 2024
General characteristics
Class and type Research vessel
Tonnage119  GRT
Length79 ft (24 m)
Beam23 ft 6 in (7.16 m)
Draught8 ft (2.4 m)
Installed power840 shp
Speed10 kn (12 mph)
Range2,500 nmi (2,900 mi) at 10 kn (12 mph)

The Research Vessel Zephyr is currently owned by Ron Micjan and is operated under Outbound Marine LLC. The Zephyr was purchased from Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in October 2013, moved to Portland, Oregon, and refurbished over the next 2.5 years into a custom cruising, small ship expedition and research vessel.

Currently the Zephyr is operational on the Pacific coast of the US and has worked from Juneau and Dutch Harbor Alaska all the way down to San Diego. Customers include NOAA Fisheries, NOAA MML, US Army Corps of Engineers, DARPA, US Navy, US Army and Oregon State University.

Prior ownership of Zephyr was as a research vessel operated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). It was the primary platform of operations for MBARI's AUV program and it was then christened R/V Zephyr.

The original owner of the vessel was the San Francisco Bar Pilots Association who had her built to specification by the Colberg Boat Works in Stockton.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monterey Bay</span> Large salt water bay in California, United States

Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean located on the coast of the U.S. state of California, south of the San Francisco Bay Area. San Francisco itself is further north along the coast, by about 75 miles, accessible via CA 1 and US 101.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scripps Institution of Oceanography</span> Center for ocean and Earth science research

The Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) is the center for oceanography and Earth science at the University of California, San Diego. Its main campus is located in La Jolla, with additional facilities in Point Loma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Remotely operated underwater vehicle</span> A tethered underwater mobile device operated by a remote crew

A remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROUV) or remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is a free-swimming submersible craft used to perform underwater observation, inspection and physical tasks such as valve operations, hydraulic functions and other general tasks within the subsea oil and gas industry, military, scientific and other applications. ROVs can also carry tooling packages for undertaking specific tasks such as pull-in and connection of flexible flowlines and umbilicals, and component replacement. They are often used to visit wrecks at great depths beyond the capacities of submersibles for research purposes, such as the Titanic, amongst others.

<i>Stellamedusa</i> Genus of jellyfishes

Stellamedusa is a genus of jellyfish. The genus is monotypic with a single species recognized, Stellamedusa ventana.

USS <i>Macon</i> (ZRS-5) United States historic airship

USS Macon (ZRS-5) was a rigid airship built and operated by the United States Navy for scouting and served as a "flying aircraft carrier", carrying up to five single-seat Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk parasite biplanes for scouting or two-seat Fleet N2Y-1s for training. In service for less than two years, the Macon was damaged in a storm and lost off California's Big Sur coast in February 1935, though most of the crew were saved. The wreckage is listed as the USS Macon Airship Remains on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moss Landing Marine Laboratories</span> Multi-campus marine research consortium of the California State University System

The Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML) is a multi-campus marine research consortium of the California State University System, headquartered at Moss Landing, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small-waterplane-area twin hull</span> Ship configuration with submerged twin-hulls

A small waterplane area twin hull, better known by the acronym SWATH, is a catamaran design that minimizes hull cross section area at the sea's surface. Minimizing the ship's volume near the surface area of the sea, where wave energy is located, minimizes a vessel's response to sea state, even in high seas and at high speeds. The bulk of the displacement necessary to keep the ship afloat is located beneath the waves, where it is less affected by wave action. Wave excitation drops exponentially as depth increases, so wave action normally does not affect a submerged submarine at all. Placing the majority of a ship's displacement under the waves is similar in concept to creating a ship that rides atop twin submarines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute</span> American oceanographic research institute

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) is a private, non-profit oceanographic research center in Moss Landing, California. MBARI was founded in 1987 by David Packard, and is primarily funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Christopher Scholin serves as the institute's president and chief executive officer, managing a work force of approximately 220 scientists, engineers, and operations and administrative staff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Office of Marine and Aviation Operations</span> US platforms operated by NOAA

The Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) is a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which operates a wide variety of specialized ships and aircraft to carry out the environmental and scientific missions of NOAA.

RV <i>Point Lobos</i> Research vessel

RV Point Lobos was a research vessel operated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). It was the platform of operations for the ROV Ventana.

RV <i>Western Flyer</i>

RV Western Flyer is a twin hulled SWATH research vessel operated by the Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO). In November 2022, the R/V Western Flyer was acquired by the Florida Institute of Oceanography and its Host Institution, the University of South Florida. The custom-designed ship was granted to FIO by the Monterrey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) for use as a sailing classroom and platform for FIO’s new ROV and peer mentoring program, providing new opportunities for students who dream of a career in Ocean STEAM.

Hopkins Marine Station is the marine laboratory of Stanford University. It is located ninety miles south of the university's main campus, in Pacific Grove, California on the Monterey Peninsula, adjacent to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It is home to ten research laboratories and a fluctuating population of graduate and undergraduate students. It has also been used for archaeological exploration, including of the Chinese-American fishing village that existed on the site before burning down in 1906.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Institute of Marine Biology</span>

The Oregon Institute of Marine Biology is the marine station of the University of Oregon. This 100-acre (0.40 km2) marine station is located in Charleston, Oregon at the mouth of Coos Bay. Currently, OIMB is home to several permanent faculty members and a number of graduate students. OIMB is a member of the National Association of Marine Laboratories (NAML). In addition to graduate research, undergraduate classes are offered year round, including marine birds and mammals, estuarine biology, marine ecology, invertebrate zoology, molecular biology, biology of fishes, biological oceanography, and embryology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davidson Seamount</span> Underwater volcano near California

Davidson Seamount is a seamount located off the coast of Central California, 80 mi (129 km) southwest of Monterey and 75 mi (121 km) west of San Simeon. At 26 mi (42 km) long and 8 mi (13 km) wide, it is one of the largest known seamounts in the world. From base to crest, the seamount is 7,480 ft (2,280 m) tall, yet its summit is still 4,101 ft (1,250 m) below the sea surface. The seamount is biologically diverse, with 237 species and 27 types of deep-sea coral having been identified.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hatfield Marine Science Center</span> Marine science research and education center in Oregon

The Hatfield Marine Science Center(HMSC) is a marine science research and education center next to Yaquina Bay of the Pacific Ocean in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is operated by Oregon State University in cooperation with five state and federal agencies co-located on site. Named after Mark Hatfield, a former U.S. Senator from Oregon, the HMSC occupies a 49-acre (20 ha) site in Newport.

The Center for Microbial Oceanography (C-MORE) is a research and education organization established in 2006 as a National Science Foundation funded Science and Technology Center.

R/V Rachel Carson is a research vessel owned and operated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), named in honor of the marine biologist and writer, Rachel Carson.

Kakani Katija is a bioengineer from Hawaii. While earning her Master's and PhD in Aeronautics and Bioengineering, Katija began to study the mechanics of swimming and feeding marine organisms.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute's (MBARI's) Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) is a "lab in a can" designed for autonomous deployment. The ESP—provides on-site collection and analysis of water samples from the subsurface ocean. The instrument is an electromechanical/fluidic system designed to collect discrete water samples, concentrate microorganisms or particles, and automate application of molecular probes which identify microorganisms and their gene products. The ESP also archives samples so that further analyses may be done after the instrument is recovered.

References