NOAAS Okeanos Explorer (R 337)
Okeanos Explorer at sea with satellite dome over its bridge
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| History | |
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 United States
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| Name: | USNS Capable (T-AGOS-16) |
| Awarded: | 20 February 1987 |
| Builder: | Halter Marine |
| Laid down: | 17 October 1987 |
| Launched: | 28 October 1988 |
| In service: | 9 June 1989 |
| Out of service: | 14 September 2004 |
| Fate: | Transferred to NOAA |
 United States
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| Name: | Okeanos Explorer |
| Commissioned: | 13 August 2008 |
| In service: | 2010 - present |
| Identification: |
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| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Stalwart-class Ocean Surveillance Ship |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 224 ft (68 m) |
| Beam: | 43 ft (13 m) |
| Draft: | 17 ft (5.2 m) |
| Propulsion: | 4 × Caterpilar D398 diesels, 3,200 hp; GE motors, 2x 800 hp; 2x 250 hp stern thrusters; 1x 500 hp bow thruster |
| Speed: | 10 knots (19 km/h) |
| Range: | 9,600 nautical miles (18,000 km) |
| Endurance: | 40 days |
| Complement: | 6 commissioned officers, 3 licensed engineers, 18 crew, 19 scientists |
NOAAS Okeanos Explorer (R 337) is a converted United States Navy ship (formerly USNS Capable (T-AGOS-16)), now an exploratory vessel for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), officially launched in 2010. Starting in 2010, NOAA entered into a five-year partnership with the San Francisco Exploratorium. The focus is on gathering scientific information about oceans for the public as well as for scientific uses. As much as 95% of the ocean remains unexplored, NOAA officials said. The ship is equipped with cameras and will provide real-time viewing of the ocean floor for scientists and for the public.
This is a pioneering use of what NOAA calls "telepresence technology". The Okeanos Explorer is the only vessel owned by the U.S. government that is dedicated to exploring the seabed and ocean crust. The ship is named after Okeanos, the Ancient Greek god of the sea, from which also comes the word "ocean".
The 224-foot-long (68 m) converted vessel is covered with cameras capable of high definition images, and sophisticated devices such as 3-D sonar mapping systems. It looks like an average ship, except for a 12-foot-wide (3.7 m) white ball, its satellite dome, mounted high above its bridge. The Okeanos Explorer is the only NOAA ship to have a dedicated ROV. Although ROV’s have been used on other NOAA ships, they are typically removed at the end of a cruise. Having a permanent ROV makes it easier to deploy at any time throughout the field season. On the Okeanos Explorer, there is an integrated control room for operating the multibeam, ROV and telepresence communication equipment. Having the screens and computers permanently wired to the ship makes it more efficient to sustain long-term exploration in remote areas of the world.
From June to July 2011, a team of scientists and technicians both at-sea and on shore conducted exploratory investigations on the diversity and distribution of deep-sea habitats and marine life in the vicinity of the Galápagos Islands. The 50-day expedition is divided into two ‘legs’ and includes work in Ecuador, Costa Rica, and international waters. Mapping and water column information collected during Leg I identified a number of exciting targets to explore with the Institute for Exploration’s Little Hercules ROV during Leg II. Between July 11 and July 28, the ship explored seamounts, the oldest known vent fields, off-axis sulfide mounds, deep fracture zones, and newly discovered vents. The expedition also marks the debut of a new camera sled and lighting platform named Seirios. When deployed from the ship with the Little Hercules, provided scientists and the audiences onshore with the very first video footage from a number of deepwater areas around the Galápagos.
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