Nathaniel B. Palmer (icebreaker)

The Nathaniel B. Palmer is an ice-capable research ship owned by Offshore Service Vessels LLC, operated by Edison Chouest Offshore, Inc. and chartered by the United States National Science Foundation. The Nathaniel B. Palmer is tasked with extended scientific missions in the Antarctic.[2][3] The Nathaniel B. Palmer was purpose-built for and delivered to the NSF by Edison Chouest Offshore's North American Shipbuilding facility in 1992. The Nathaniel B. Palmer carries a helicopter, accommodates up to 37 scientists, has a crew of 22 and is capable of missions lasting up to 75 days. The vessel is named after merchant mariner and ship builder Nathaniel Brown Palmer, credited by some historians with the discovery of Antarctica.[2]

Icebreaker Nathaniel B. Palmer, serving the National Science Foundation.
History
United States
Name: R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer
Namesake: Nathaniel Palmer
Owner: Offshore Service Vessels LLC
Operator: Lockheed Martin Antarctic Support Contract
Builder: North American Ship Building
Yard number: 137[1]
Launched: 1992
In service: 1992
Homeport: Punta Arenas, Patagonia
Identification:
Status: In service
General characteristics
Class and type: ABS A1, AMS, E, ACC
Type: Research vessel
Tonnage: 6,174 GT
Length: 94 m (308 ft)
Beam: 18.3 m (60 ft)
Draft: 6.8 m (22 ft)
Depth: 9.1 m (30 ft)
Ice class: A2
Installed power: 4 x Caterpillar 3608
Propulsion:
  • Main propulsion: 12,720 hp (9,485 kW)
  • Bow Thruster: 1,400 hp (1,040 kW)
  • Stern Thruster: 800 hp (600 kW)
Endurance: 75 days
Complement: 59
Crew: 22
Aircraft carried: helicopter

In February 2020, researchers aboard the vessel with the international Thwaites Glacier Offshore Research (THOR) project discovered Sif Island, located in Pine Island Bay of the Amundsen Sea, in Antarctica.[4][5]

  • Nathaniel B. Palmer

References
  1. "Coast Guard Vessel Documentation". Vessel Documentation Search. NOAA Office of Science and Technology National Marine Fisheries Service. 2004-06-30. Archived from the original on 2012-12-15. Retrieved 2012-12-15. Hull Number: 137
  2. "R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer". National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs. National Science Foundation. 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-02-01. Retrieved 2012-12-15. In 1992, Edison Chouest Offshore Inc., Galliano, Louisiana, built and delivered a 94-meter research ship with icebreaking capability for use by the U.S. Antarctic Program for 10 years or more.
  3. "Raytheon Polar Services Company" (PDF). Raytheon Polar Services Company. Raytheon Company. 2002. RPS-02-010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-06-30. Retrieved 2015-06-04. Research vessels: Laurence M. Gould and the Nathaniel B. Palmer
  4. Specktor, Brandon (February 28, 2020). "Melting ice in Antarctica reveals new uncharted island". Live Science. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  5. Giuliana, Viglione (February 21, 2020). "New Antarctic island spotted as mammoth glacier retreats". Nature. 578 (501): 501. Bibcode:2020Natur.578..501V. doi:10.1038/d41586-020-00489-4. PMID 32099127. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
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