University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System

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The University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) is a group of academic institutions and National Laboratories organized in the United States to coordinate research vessel use for federally funded ocean research.

Contents

Authority

The UNOLS system grew from the recognition during the rapid expansion of oceanographic activity that there was no organized means of coordinating ship time requests of researchers, particularly those from institutions not operating vessels and that more expensive ships were not the answer. Federal research sponsors were concerned about more effective use of those expensive assets. Even though a more formal National Oceanographic Laboratory system was not established the less formal and less federally controlled cooperative system of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System was established. The form this took lay between federal control of the fleet and uncoordinated use of the often federally owned research vessels at the institutions. UNOLS was chartered in September 1971 [1] to coordinate and support federally funded oceanographic research through efficient usage of the fleet. [2]

UNOLS goes beyond simple coordination of fleet activities. The system has developed standards and standard practices in cost accounting, reports, information services, shipboard equipment and services, foreign visit clearances, safety and coordinates on new vessel acquisition. In that last area UNOLS has played a part in influencing designs to most effectively support the mission. This has influenced the design of most U.S. and some foreign research vessels.

As of May 1, 2019, the office for UNOLS is located at the University of Washington School of Oceanography in Seattle, WA. [3]

Federal support, cooperation and funding

Federal support for and cooperation with UNOLS is found in the National Science Foundation (NSF), Office of Naval Research (ONR), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Minerals Management Service (MMS) and other agencies. [4]

The majority of the ships are owned by federal agencies and the ships are available to all federally funded researchers. [5] Federal agencies also utilize excess ship time in fulfilling some of their ship based requirements. [6]

Institutions

As of December 2009 sixty-one institutions are members. Some operate vessels while some are non-operator institutions. Those non-operator institutions were first associate members and are now full members. [7]

Vessels

Vessels are either owned by or, more often, assigned to and operated by the institutions. UNOLS itself is neither the operator nor the funding agency for research. [2] Many of the vessels are owned by federal agencies with the Navy having the largest number. The National Science Foundation owns vessels operated by UNOLS institutions. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration operates a large vessel, the Ronald H. Brown in cooperation with UNOLS. The U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers also cooperate on research scheduling. [8] A number of well known research vessels have been members of the UNOLS fleet. Some are now retired or otherwise out of UNOLS service. [9] All of the Navy owned oceanographic research (AGOR), as opposed to survey, vessels are now operated by institutions within UNOLS.

In addition to vessels UNOLS assists in scheduling oceanographic research using aircraft owned by federal agencies through the Scientific Committee for Oceanographic Aircraft Research (SCOAR). [10] [11]

See also

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RV <i>Oceanus</i>

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RV <i>Marcus G. Langseth</i>

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USNS <i>James M. Gilliss</i> (T-AGOR-4)

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USNS <i>Thomas G. Thompson</i> (T-AGOR-9)

Thomas G. Thompson (T-AGOR-9) was a Robert D. Conrad-class oceanographic research ship acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1965. The ship was transferred to the University of Washington for operation as part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) fleet on 21 September 1965. In 1988 the ship went out of UNOLS service. The ship, retaining the previous name, was designated by the Navy as IX-517 assigned to the Mare Island Naval Shipyard for general naval research. Thomas G. Thompson was later renamed Pacific Escort II with the same designation. On 7 May 1997 the Navy renamed the ship Gosport and transferred the ship to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard available for hire as a multi purpose platform from the shipyard. The ship, placed out of service and struck from the register on 27 February 2004, was sunk as part of a NATO exercise 14 November 2004.

USNS <i>Thomas Washington</i> (T-AGOR-10)

Thomas Washington (T-AGOR-10) was a Robert D. Conrad-class oceanographic research ship delivered to the U.S. Navy in 1965. The ship was owned by the Navy but assigned to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, University of California, La Jolla, California and operated as R/VThomas Washington from delivery to inactivation.

Gyre (T-AGOR-21), best known as RV Gyre, was the lead ship of her class of oceanographic research ships acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1973 for assignment to the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) fleet of Navy owned ships. Gyre was operated by the Texas A&M University School of Oceanography as part of the Navy owned UNOLS fleet until stricken 17 August 1992 and transferred to the university under a program transferring ships to states, schools and other public institutions. The university operated the ship until sale in December 2005.

RV Wecoma is a research vessel owned by the National Science Foundation and operated by the College of Oceanic & Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University (OSU) as a member of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) fleet. It is based in Newport in the U.S. state of Oregon near OSU's Hatfield Marine Science Center. Launched in 1975, it has a maximum displacement of 1,150 long tons (1,168 t).

RV <i>Atlantic Explorer</i>

RV Atlantic Explorer is a twin-screw ocean vessel. It is owned and operated by the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) in coordination with and as a part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) fleet. Atlantic Explorer is in compliance with US Coast Guard, UNOLS and American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) regulations as an uninspected oceanographic research vessel and is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Its homeport is St. George's, Bermuda.

References

  1. ↑ "UNOLS Charter" (PDF). UNOLS. November 2, 2018.
  2. 1 2 Dinsmore, Robert P. (June 1998). "History of UNOLS". UNOLS.
  3. ↑ "What Is UNOLS?". UNOLS.
  4. ↑ "Links to our Federal Agencies". UNOLS. Archived from the original on February 10, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Information Required by Academic Scientists Wishing to Use the UNOLS Research Fleet". UNOLS. Archived from the original on April 16, 2014.
  6. ↑ "National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration: Marine and Aviation Operations, sections 1.2 and 1.3". The White House. 2006.
  7. ↑ "Unols Directory of Member Institutions and Designated Representatives". UNOLS. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011.
  8. ↑ "UNOLS Research Vessels". UNOLS.
  9. ↑ "UNOLS Current and Retired Vessel List". UNOLS. November 7, 2008. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012.
  10. ↑ Bane, John M.; Bluth, Robert; Flagg, Charles; Friehe, Carl A.; Jonsson, Haflidi; Melville, W. Kendall; Prince, Mike & Riemer, Daniel (December 2004). "UNOLS Establishes SCOAR to Promote Research Aircraft Facilities for U. S. Ocean Sciences" (PDF). Oceanography . 17 (4): 176–185. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 19, 2011 – via UNOLS.
  11. ↑ "Oceanographic Aircraft Facility Information". UNOLS. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012.
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