U.S. Geological Survey to Acquire New Vessel from Great Lakes Shipyard

The newest additions to the U.S. Geological Survey’s fleet of large research vessels will be dedicated and delivered at a formal shipbuilding ceremony in Cleveland on Wednesday.

Anne Castle, U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, and Marcia McNutt, USGS Director, will Christen the USGS Great Lakes Science Center’s research vessels at a traditional dedication and delivery ceremony at the Great Lakes Shipyard in Cleveland, Ohio. These new large vessels are floating scientific laboratories, enabling USGS researchers to explore the health and population of biological organisms in lakes Erie and Ontario. Such research is used by federal, state, and tribal resource managers to protect the area’s $7 billion annual commercial and sport fisheries.

The two new research vessels will replace the aging vessels on lakes Erie and Ontario. They will provide safe and reliable platforms for scientists, and will be equipped with state-of-the-art scientific instrumentation to improve the understanding of deep-water ecosystems and fishes in these lakes for ecological management purposes.

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Source: usgs, August 30, 2011.