Ships
CalCOFI uses an assortment of ships to complete our quarterly research cruises. Here you will find information on the research vessels currently and previously used for conducting CalCOFI surveys.
Ships Current used for CalCOFI Cruises
NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker
NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker is the fifth in a series of Oscar Dyson-class fisheries survey vessels and one of the most technologically advanced fisheries vessels in the world. The ship’s primary objective is to support fish, marine mammal, seabird and turtle surveys off the U.S. West Coast and in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
Funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Reuben Lasker was designed to meet the National Marine Fisheries Service’s specific data collection requirements. The ship mainly supports the Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) and Northwest Fisheries Science Center. The science centers conduct sea-going research in support of management and conservation of living marine resources, including fish, marine mammals and marine turtles.
The ship is named after Dr. Reuben Lasker (1929-1988), who served as the director of SWFSC’s Coastal Fisheries Division and as adjunct professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. Dr. Lasker built a renowned research group that focused on the recruitment of young fish to the adult population — a topic with implications for fisheries management throughout the world.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
|
Organization |
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration |
|
Home Port |
Port of San Diego (San Diego, CA) |
|
Commissioned |
2014 |
|
Length |
209 ft |
|
Scientists |
15 |
|
Call Sign |
WTEG |
R/V Sally Ride
R/V Sally Ride is the newest ocean class research vessel operated by Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. The Sally Ride is named in honor of the former UCSD faculty member who was the first female American astronaut and the youngest American to fly in space. CalCOFI had the honor of being the maiden research mission completed by Sally Ride (November 2016 – 1611SR).
Sally Ride is an Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research (AGOR) vessel designed to perform multidisciplinary oceanographic research worldwide, from littoral environments to the deepest ocean, from the tropics into first-year sea ice. The ship is owned by the U.S. Navy and is a shared-use research facility within the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS).
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
|
Organization |
Scripps Institution of Oceanography |
|
Home Port |
Nimitz Marine Facility (San Diego, CA) |
|
Commissioned |
2016 |
|
Length |
238 ft |
|
Scientists |
25 |
|
Call Sign |
WSAF |
NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada
NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada is the fourth in a series of Oscar Dyson-class fisheries survey vessels designed to meet the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NOAA Fisheries) specific data collection requirements and the International Council for Exploration of the Seas’ standards for a low acoustic signature. The ship conducts fish, marine mammal, seabird and turtle surveys primarily in U.S. waters from Washington State to southern California.
Bell M. Shimada was named by a team of students from Marina High School in Monterey, CA, who won a regional NOAA contest to name the vessel. The ship’s namesake served with the Bureau of Fisheries and Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, and was known for his contributions to the study of tropical Pacific tuna stocks, which were important to the development of West Coast commercial fisheries following World War II. Bell M. Shimada’s son, Allen, is a fisheries scientist with NOAA Fisheries.
Vessel information courtesy of NOAA’s Shimada web page.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
|
Organization |
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration |
|
Home Port |
Marine Operations Center-Pacific (Newport, OR) |
|
Commissioned |
2010 |
|
Length |
209 ft |
|
Scientists |
17 |
|
Call Sign |
WTED |
R/V Oceanus
R/V Oceanus is owned by the National Science Foundation and operated by Oregon State University. Oceanus is a mid-sized research vessel designed for expeditions lasting two to four weeks. The ship’s name is drawn from Greek mythology. The Titan Oceanus, father of the river gods and sea nymphs, was represented as a great stream of water encircling the Earth. Oceanus was believed to be the source of all bodies of water.
The ship was transferred to OSU from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in March 2012 to replace its sister ship, R/V Wecoma. Oceanus spent most of its time working in the North Atlantic, with occasional trips to the Mediterranean, South Atlantic, and Caribbean. With her move to Oregon State University, Oceanus continues her scientific mission throughout the Pacific, with trips ranging from the Bering Sea in the north, to the equator in the south, and as far west as Hawaii.
Vessel information courtesy of OSU’s Oceanus web page.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
|
Organization |
Oregon State University / NSF |
|
Home Port |
Hatfield Marine Science Center (Newport, OR) |
|
Commissioned |
1975 |
|
Length |
177 ft |
|
Scientists |
13 |
|
Call Sign |
WXAQ |
R/V Bold Horizon
R/V Bold Horizon is a 170-foot oceanographic research vessel owned and operated by Eclipse Group, Incl. and docked at 10th Ave Marine Terminal, San Diego.
The Bold Horizon was originally “New Horizon” and owned by UCSD. It was used for oceanographic cruises by Scripps Institution of Oceanography until it was decommissioned in 2015, after CalCOFI 1504NH.
CalCOFI chartered Bold Horizon for 1907BH (July 2019) due to other research vessels being unavailable, and because of CalCOFI’s familiarity conducting research cruises from this ship.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
|
Organization |
Eclipse Group, Incl. |
|
Home Port |
Port of San Diego (San Diego, CA) |
|
Commissioned |
1978 |
|
Length |
170 ft |
|
Scientists |
12 |
|
Call Sign |
WKWB |
R/V Ocean Starr
Stabbert Maritime, Seattle WA has renovated the decommissioned NOAA RV David Starr Jordan and renamed it RV Ocean Starr, operated by Ocean Services, Inc.
The Ocean Starr provides a broad range of scientific research capabilities with temperature-controlled aquaria and live specimen wells, walk-in freezer, dark room, data processing laboratory, and an underwater observation chamber in the bow and port side for studying fish behavior at sea. The ship’s twin 500-horsepower diesel engines give the ship a 10-knot cruising speed.
Vessel information courtesy of Stabbert Maritime’s Ocean Starr web page.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
|
Organization |
Ocean Services – Stabbert Maritime |
|
Home Port |
Seattle, WA |
|
Commissioned |
1966 |
|
Length |
171 ft |
|
Scientists |
15 |
|
Call Sign |
V4FT4 |
Check out the complete Scripps and NOAA fleets:
Ships Retired from CalCOFI Cruises
R/V New Horizon
RV New Horizon served the US scientific community from 1978 through 2015. The 170-foot oceanographic research vessel, originally owned by UCSD, was a working platform for oceanographic cruises by Scripps Institution of Oceanography. It was decommissioned in mid-2015 after CalCOFI 1504NH. Renamed RV Bold Horizon, it is owned and operated by the Endurance Exploration Group/Eclipse Group Inc. and is docked at 10th Ave Marine Terminal, San Diego.
NOAA R/V McArthur II
Decommissioned in June 2014, NOAA RV McArthur II was acquired from the U.S. Navy in 2002 and was converted by NOAA from a T-AGOS surveillance vessel to a multiple-disciplinary platform capable of a broad range of missions. As was it’s predecessor, the McArthur, the McArthur II is named after William Pope McArthur. The vessel was operated by NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (NMAO), and was home ported at NOAA’s Marine Operations Center, Pacific (MOP), in Seattle, Washington.
The ship conducted oceanographic research and assessments, throughout the eastern Pacific, including the U.S. West Coast, Central and South America. The McArthur II was involved in studies in several of the National Marine Sanctuaries on the west coast of the United States. The 224-foot ship engaged in measurements of chemical, meteorological, and biological sampling for several large scale programs within NOAA.
R/V Roger Revelle
RV Roger Revelle is a 274-foot AGOR 24-class research ship operated by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. RV Revelle is the second of three oceanographic ships built by the U.S. Navy for oceanographic institution operations. It has a cruising speed of 12 knots and carries 22 crewmembers and 37 scientists. The 1996 October CalCOFI cruise, 9610RR, was the first research cruise on RV Revelle.
The ship is named for Prof. Roger R. D. Revelle (1909-1991), a distinguished university researcher and professor, the officer in charge of the oceanographic section of the Bureau of Ships (now Naval Sea Systems Command), a creator of the Office of Naval Research and head of its Geophysics Section, and a director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Prof. Revelle was one of the first scientists to identify the issues of carbon dioxide emissions, the “Greenhouse Effect” and global warming.
R/V Robert Gordon Sproul
RV Robert Gordon Sproul, named for the 11th president of the University of California (1930-1958), is the smallest oceanographic research vessel in the Scripps Institution of Oceanography fleet. Built in 1981, the 125-foot vessel operates with 5 crew and accommodates 12 scientists.
Robert Gordon Sproul’s outstanding contribution during his 28-year administration was the multiple-campus expansion of the University to meet the demands for higher education in widely separated parts of the state, while maintaining one institution governed by one Board of Regents and one President.
NOAA R/V David Starr Jordan
NOAA decommissioned the NOAA Ship David Starr Jordan in 2010, after the ship conducted oceanographic, marine mammal and fisheries research in the Pacific for more than 40 years. The 171-foot oceanographic research vessel was capable of operating a variety of biological and oceanographic sampling gear but its primary mission was to provide a working platform for the study of the ocean’s living resources.
“NOAA Ship David Starr Jordan played an integral and invaluable role in expanding our understanding of the ocean and marine life in the western Pacific,” said Rear Adm. Jonathan W. Bailey, director of NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations and the NOAA Corps. “This remarkable vessel and all who sailed aboard her have more than earned their place in the history of fisheries and oceanographic research in the eastern Pacific.” (Courtesy of Marine Technology Reporter)
NOAA R/V Miller Freeman
NOAA RV Miller Freeman was decommissioned in 2013 after many years of exemplary service. RV Miller Freeman was a 215-foot fisheries and oceanographic research vessel and was one of the largest research trawlers in the United States. RV Miller Freeman’s primary mission was to provide a working platform for the study of the ocean’s living resources. The ship was named for Miller Freeman (1875-1955), a publisher who was actively involved in the international management of fish harvests.
NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson
Homeported in Kodiak, Alaska, NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson is the first in a class of ultra-quiet fisheries survey vessels built to collect data on fish populations, conduct marine mammal and seabird surveys, and study marine ecosystems. The ship was commissioned in 2005 and operates primarily in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska.
Vessel information courtesy of NOAA’s Oscar Dyson web page.
F/V Frosti
FV Frosti is a 130-foot Canadian commercial fishing vessel designed for trawling. FV Frosti was often used on Spring CalCOFI-Sardine cruise surveying from San Francisco to San Diego.