The Ship

The R/V Thompson, an AGOR-23 class research vessel, was built with funds from the Navy for the oceanographic research community. The ship was acquired in 1991 by the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington and operates primarily in the Pacific Ocean. The 91-m (274-foot) Thompson has the capacity to accommodate 22 crew members, 9 officers and 36 scientists. With it’s 248,000 gallon fuel tank, the Thompson can continually travel for 60 days with a cruising speed of 13.5 knots. The Thompson’s top speed is 15 knots.

Specifications

• Owner: Office of Naval Research
• Operator: School of Oceanography, University of Washington
• Builder:
• Year built: 1991
• Usage: Oceanography
• Ocean area of operation: Pacific
• Hull: Steel
• Length: 91 m (274 ft)
• Beam: 17.5 m (52.49 ft)
• Gross tons: 3250
• Freshwater capacity: 49 cubic meters
• Cruising speed: 13.5 knots
• Maximum speed: 15.0 knots
• Endurance: 60 days
• Fuel capacity: 248,000 gallons
• Number of officers/crew: 22
• Maximum number of scientists: 36
• Instruments and equipment
  • Navigation: Radar, Loran, Satellite navigation, Gyro, Doppler Log, Global Positioning System
    Acoustic echosounders
    Sonar Winches
    Four winches for bottom sampling
    Gantry Crane
    Other instruments for sampling