USNS Lynch

USNS Lynch (T-AGOR-7) was a Robert D. Conrad-class oceanographic research ship that served the United States Navy from 1965 to 1994. During that period the ship was one of the ships under the technical direction of the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) operating as an Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research (AGOR) program "pool" ship for support of Navy laboratories on each coast as well as NAVOCEANO projects. Lynch was assigned to support laboratories on the East Coast.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Lynch.
USNS Lynch (T-AGOR-7) tending SPAR (Seagoing Platform for Acoustic Research), June 1966, near Solomons, MD.
History
United States
NameLynch
NamesakeCaptain William Francis Lynch
BuilderMarietta Mfg. Co., Point Pleasant, West Virginia
Laid down7 September 1962
Launched17 March 1964
Sponsored byMrs. Walter M. Windsor as proxy for Miss Withers Millard, great great granddaughter of Captain William Francis Lynch
Acquiredby the Navy, 23 July 1965
In servicecirca 1965 as USNS Lynch (T-AGOR-7)
Out of service23 December 1994
Stricken23 December 1994
IdentificationIMO number: 7742126
FateScrapped, 29 November 2001
General characteristics
TypeRobert D. Conrad-class oceanographic research ship
Tonnage1,200 tons
Displacement1,370 tons
Length209'
Beam40'
Draft16'
Propulsiondiesel-electric, single propeller, 2,500shp, retractable azimuth-compensating bow thruster
Speed12 knots
Complement23 civilian mariners, 38 scientists

Construction

Lynch, an oceanographic research ship and the second naval vessel with the name, was laid down 7 September 1962 by Marietta Manufacturing Co., Point Pleasant, West Virginia; launched 17 March 1964; sponsored by Mrs. Walter M. Windsor as proxy for Miss Withers Millard, great great granddaughter of Captain William Francis Lynch.[1] The ship was towed to New Orleans on 4 April 1965 for completion and trials.[2] Lynch was delivered to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) 23 July 1965 which assigned the designation T-AGOR-7.[1]

Operations

Lynch was added to the Naval Oceanographic Office's Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research (AGOR) program fleet becoming operational 16 November 1965. Ships in the AGOR program were under that office's technical direction but supported work of Navy laboratories as "pool" ships on each coast with Lynch joining James M. Gilliss and Sands in the East Coast pool.[3][4][5]

Following MSTS acceptance, Lynch underwent shakedown training in the Gulf of Mexico. In November 1965 she proceeded to New London, Connecticut, to commence oceanographic research operations for the Naval Oceanographic Office. The 15 scientists embarked, working with the latest oceanographic equipment, analyzed ocean currents, the effects of salinity and temperature on sonic transmission, and the effects of pressure on various materials.[1] The ship during the first seven and a half months of operation completed nine cruises with 122 days at sea supporting two East Coast Navy laboratories as well as NAVOCEANO missions.[4]

Lynch commenced research operations in early 1966 using the SPAR (Seagoing Platform for Acoustic Research), a non powered acoustic research vehicle, in the western Atlantic Ocean. The SPAR is 355 ft (108.2 m) feet long, 8 ft (2.4 m) in diameter and when partially flooded acts as a buoy with 302 ft (92.0 m) submerged.[note 1] The platform measures acoustic data transmitting it to the research ship by cable.[1][6] Lynch was equipped to tow SPAR to position and monitor conditions in the platform as well as record data by personnel from the Naval Ordnance Laboratory. After test in Chesapeake Bay out of Solomons, Maryland Lynch towed SPAR for operational test off Cape Hatteras.[6]

Lynch continued research for NAVOCEANO operating in the Atlantic Ocean. In 1984 the ship made Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) measurements in the Fram Strait between Greenland and Spitzbergen. Lynch worked in open waters while the Norwegian MV Polarqueen and the German research icebreaker Polarstern and their helicopters worked in ice.[7][note 2]

Inactivation

Lynch entered the Maritime Administration James River Reserve Fleet on 21 October 1991 and withdrawn for scrapping 30 August 2001 with final disposition on 29 November.[8]

Footnotes
  1. The article describes SPAR as having a draft of 302 ft (92.0 m), displacement of 1,720 tons with the upper 70 ft (21.3 m) used for instrumentation with the sensors being an array of hydrophones. The mother ship stayed 300 ft (91.4 m) to 600 ft (182.9 m) feet away to avoid noise interference. SPAR was funded by the Bureau of Naval Weapons and built at Aerojet-General Shipyard, Jacksonville, Florida with launch on 17 July 1964.
  2. MV Polarqueen is found in the reference and in other such publications as one word. Search returns hits for MV Polar Queen but without the research links. Definite identification and resolution not yet done.

References
  1. Naval History And Heritage Command (July 29, 2015). "Lynch II (AGOR‑7)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History And Heritage Command. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  2. Annual Report of the Commander, Naval Oceanographic Office, Fiscal Year 1965 (Report). Washington, D.C.: Naval Oceanographic Office. 1965. p. 11. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  3. Annual Report of the Commander, Naval Oceanographic Office, Fiscal Year 1964 (Report). Washington, D.C.: Naval Oceanographic Office. 1964. p. 10. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  4. Oceanography '66; Annual Report Naval Oceanographic Office, Fiscal Year 1966 (Report). Washington, D.C.: Naval Oceanographic Office. 1966. p. 26. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  5. Nelson, Stewart B (1971). Oceanographic Ships Fore and Aft. Washington, D.C.: Office of the Oceanographer of the Navy. pp. 161, 167. LCCN 71614043. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  6. "Underwater Sound Research Ship Towed Out to Sea and "Dunked"". Sealift. Vol. 17, no. 8. Washington, D.C.: Military Sea Transportation Service. October 1966. pp. 19–21. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  7. Manley, T. O. (1 December 1985). Marginal Ice Zone Experiment - 1984, Physical Oceanography Report: USNS Lynch and Helicopter-Based STD Data (PDF) (Report). Palisades, N.Y.: Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory, Arctic Oceanography Department. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  8. Maritime Administration. "LYNCH (T-AGOR-7)". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
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