Contact: Steve Lanoux
361-749-6760
lanoux@utmsi.utexas.edu

Date: August 8, 2006

R/V LONGHORN to be retired after 35 years of service.

PORT ARANSAS, Texas—The University of Texas at Austin will be retiring the oceanographic research vessel LONGHORN this fall. Funding for shipboard scientific research in the western Gulf of Mexico has decreased over the last few years, and the focus of that research has moved to deeper waters where the vessel’s size and working depth limitations are not adequate to support those scientific missions. The LONGHORN has been a member of the National Science Foundation and the University National Oceanographic Laboratory System’s fleet since commissioning.

Over her life, LONGHORN has conducted scientific research throughout the Gulf of Mexico, including the Eastern Coast of Mexico as far South as Campeche and Yucatan, the Straits of Florida between the Keys and Cuba, and up the East Coast of the United States as far as Delaware Bay. Researchers from around the world have embarked for cruises ranging from testing of autonomous underwater vehicles to water column exploration in the Orca Basin to long-lining for sharks as a means of collecting migratory data to weather buoy servicing. LONGHORN was able to provide rapid-response cruise support to the National Science Foundation for data collection immediately following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. With her retirement, the last university owned and operated blue-water oceanographic research vessel in the state of Texas is withdrawn from service.

The LONGHORN was designed by Robert L. Harrelson as a general purpose coastal oceanographic research vessel and was built in 1971 by Allied Shipyard. For her first fourteen years she served admirably in her original intended role as a coastal research vessel. During this period, however, it became evident that additional length was needed to increase her deck space, add laboratory space, and to provide the ability to operate in deeper water and in a greater range of weather conditions. In 1986, a midlife refit and lengthening project was completed by Master Marine Shipyard. A 20-ft. section was added amidships along with a completely new and enlarged wheelhouse, all new living quarters below decks, and all new and expanded laboratories. New, modern marine electronic navigation and communication aids were installed at the same time. Thus the R/V LONGHORN entered into a new phase of her life as an enlarged, improved, and rebuilt vessel.  Although the “normal” life of an oceanic ship is considered 30 years, the refit has extended this and allowed her to continue to serve the scientific community and marine science education.

The ship is 103’ in length with a beam of 26’, displacing approximately 210 tons when fully loaded. She can accommodate a scientific party of 12 with a crew of five. The ship offers both wet and dry laboratories, a large working deck with A-frame aft and J-frame amidships, a main towing winch with 9000’ of cable, two hydrographic winches with 9600’ and 11,000’ of cable respectively, and a knuckle-boom crane for loading and moving deck loads. Onboard equipment includes a CTD rosette, continuous seawater sampling system, pure water system, a continuously recording ship’s data system, two depth recording systems, multiple GPS and computer-aided navigation systems, AIS VHF radios, two radars, and other scientific and navigation equipment. The ship is capable of working in 2500 meters of water with 10 days of on-station time. A wide range of other sampling and scientific equipment is available for use by embarked scientists. Small boats and dive tenders are available for use during scientific missions.

The R/V LONGHORN is operated by the University’s Marine Science Institute and is berthed in the Institute’s marina at Port Aransas, Texas. The Institute is located about 20 miles northeast of Corpus Christi, Texas on the northern end of Mustang Island, a subtropical barrier island between Corpus Christi Bay and the western Gulf of Mexico. Within easy reach are diverse marine and estuarine environments of interest to scientists in many areas of research. These include the open Gulf of Mexico beyond the shelf-slope break, shallow waters of the continental shelf, bays, lagunas, wind-tidal flats and fresh-to-brackish-water marshes. The Marine Science Institute facilities include 82 acres of land and 100,000 square feet of laboratory space, a 14,000 sq. ft. physical plant support facility, a four-acre boat basin, graduate student apartments, dormitories and a cafeteria. Besides the R/V LONGHORN, the Institute operates the 57 foot R/V KATY and a fleet of smaller boats for bay work. The laboratory includes both a scientific staff and a physical plant support staff; facilities are available for visiting scientists and students year-round.

The R/V LONGHORN has had a long, proud career. She will be missed.