National Science Foundation (NSF) has award Measurement Technology NW (MTNW) a contract to upgrade winch monitoring technology for the Coast Guard Icebreakers Healy and Polar Sea. This contract brings new mission critical MTNW hardware and software technology to these Arctic research vessels.
NSF and the Coast Guard are working with MTNW because the Line Control Instruments’ (LCI) monitoring and control system provides advanced technology for on-deck safety, reliability, and research accuracy.
Tom Rezanka, Managing Director of MTNW explained that having winch technology which continuously monitors line tension, allows trending, alarm evaluation, data collection with peak load capture at high sample rates–locally at the winch operator station, in the control room, on the bridge and remotely through the PC–increases the safety factor beyond other currently available systems.
USCGC Polar Sea (WAGB-11) is a United States Coast Guard Heavy Icebreaker. Commissioned in 1977, the ship was built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company of Seattle along with her sister ship, Polar Star (WAGB-10).
USCGC Healy (WAGB-20) is a research icebreaker put into commission in 1999 by the United States Coast Guard. Healy was constructed by Avondale Industries in New Orleans, Louisiana and named in honor of Captain “Hell Roaring” Michael A. Healy U.S.R.C.S.
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Source: nsf, March 7, 2012; Image: nsf