NOAAS Davidson

NOAAS Davidson (S 331) was a survey ship in commission in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from 1970 to 1989. Prior to her NOAA service, she was in commission in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey from 1967 to 1970 as USC&GS Davidson (CSS 31), the second Coast and Geodetic Survey ship of the name. She was the only sister ship of NOAAS McArthur (S 330).

NOAAS Davidson (S 331)
History
United States
NameUSC&GS Davidson (CSS 31)
NamesakeGeorge Davidson (1825-1911), an accomplished geodesist and United States Coast Survey official
OperatorU.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey
BuilderNorfolk Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Norfolk, Virginia
Launched7 May 1966
Sponsored byMrs. George P. Miller
Commissioned10 March 1967
FateTransferred to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 3 October 1970
United States
NameNOAAS Davidson (S 331)
NamesakePrevious name retained
OperatorNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
AcquiredTransferred from U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 3 October 1970
Out of service1989
Stricken1997
HomeportSeattle, Washington
Identification
Fate
  • Sold
  • Became private American research vessel
  • Later became a Nigerian oilfield security vessel
StatusActive as oilfield security vessel in Nigeria
General characteristics
Class and typeMcArthur-class hydrographic survey ship
Tonnage854 gross register tons; 207 net register tons
Displacement995 tons (full load)
Length175 ft (53 m)
Beam38 ft (12 m)
Draft12.1 ft (3.7 m)
Installed power1,600 horsepower (2.1 megawatts)
PropulsionTwo General Motors diesel engines, twin controllable-pitch propellers, 186 tons fuel
Speed12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Range6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Endurance17 days
ComplementEither 23 (6 officers and 17 crew) plus up to 13 scientists[1] or 38 (8 NOAA Corps officers, 3 licensed engineers, and 27 other crew, plus up to 2 scientists[2]
Notes440 kilowatts electrical power; Hydroplot data-recording system

Construction and commissioning

Davidson was built for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey as a "coastal survey ship" (CSS) and was launched by the Norfolk Shipbuilding and Drydock Company at Norfolk, Virginia, on 7 May 1966,[3] sponsored by Mrs. George P. Miller.[4] The Coast and Geodetic Survey commissioned her on 10 March 1967 as USC&GS Davidson (CSS 31), the second Coast and Geodetic Survey ship to bear the name. When the Coast and Geodetic Survey merged with other agencies to form NOAA on 3 October 1970, she became part of the NOAA fleet as NOAAS Davidson (S 331).

Operations

With her home port at the Pacific Marine Center, Seattle, Washington, Davidson, along with her only sister ship, McArthur, spent her career conducting hydrographic surveys along the United States West Coast; in Alaskan waters, including in Prince William Sound in 1974, Tracy Arm, Endicott Arm, and Skagway Harbor; in San Diego Bay in 1975; and in the Pacific Ocean. She had a Bathymetric Swath Survey System (a stabilized deep-mapping sonar) and a Hydroplot data-recording system.

R/V Davidson in Seward, Alaska in Ocean Services colors

Taken out of service in 1989, Davidson was stricken in 1997 without ever having been formally decommissioned.[5] After her disposal by NOAA, Davidson was operated for many years by Ocean Services Inc. a company in Seattle and with her home port in Sitka, Alaska. She was used as a survey and research vessel in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, Alaska, and various locations in the Pacific. In 2002 from Feb 28th through May 11 she was chartered by Nauticos to search for Amelia Earhart's Lockheed 10E Electra. She was eventually sold to interests in Nigeria and operates there as a security vessel in the Nigerian offshore oilfields.

R/V Davidson engineroom

Notes

References

  • NOAA History, A Science Odyssey: Tools of the Trade: Ships: Coast and Geodetic Survey Ships: Davidson
  • Couhat, John Labayle, and A. D. Baker III, eds. Combat Fleets of the World 1984/1985: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Armament. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute, 1984. ISBN 0-87021-136-6.
  • Prézelin, Bernard, and A. D. Baker III, eds. The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World 1990/1991: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Armament. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute Press, 1990. ISBN 0-87021-250-8.
  • Jourdan, David W. The Deep Sea Quest for Amelia Earhart. Cape Porpoise, Maine: Ocellus Productions, 2010. ISBN 978-0-9843282-0-8
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