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48 MTR July/August 2005 on other FRV's".

According to another senior NOAA official, who has the quietest R/V is irrelevant. "NOAA cooperates with our

European counterparts and fisheries scientific organiza- tions and continues to share and conduct technology transfer for the benefit of the world fisheries. The story of the ship technology development as well as the concurrent improvements in acoustic scientific survey equipment capability is part of a big success story for global fisheries management."

Delaware's Quiet R/V

The second quiet R/V in the United States will belong to its second smallest state. The University of Delaware,

College of Marine Sciences, is currently building its own version of a quiet R/V. It will replace the almost 30 year old Cape Henlopen which is part of the UNOLS Fleet.

The Cape Henlopen Replacement Vessel or CHRV was designed by Dave Bonney's Bay Marine of Barrington,

Rhode Island. Noise control was again designed by Noise

Control Engineering. The vessel is currently under con- struction at Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes, Wash.

The university wanted an ICES capable ship so that they can conduct "coastal and inland fisheries work where large vessels (like Oscar Dyson) fear to tread…." according to Matt Hawkins, former Cape Henlopen captain and currently the Director of Marine Operations with the

College of Marine Sciences in Lewes, Delaware. In addi- tion a quieter boat allows the University to perform more "acoustics work with Office of Naval Research and Naval

Research Labs, two large customers for the UNOLS

Fleet."

Like the FRV-40 the CHRV will be a diesel electric plant, use double stage mounted diesels, single stage mounted auxiliaries, extensive damping and insulation.

Unlike FRV-40, the CHRV will use a floating engine room deck for double stage genset isolation and a pair of special vibration isolated Schottel Z-Drives. With a budget of less than half of that of the FRV-40, the only way to achieve the CRR-209 is to reduce the speed at which the criteria is achieved. The CHRV is designed to meet the CRR-209 limit at a speed of 8 knots. FRV-40 and most of the other quiet R/V's were operating at 11 knots.

The Future

The expected delivery of Delaware's vessel to its home port in Lewes is October 2005. The second FRV, now being identified as FSV-2 is expected to be completed in late 2005. It will be home ported at the NOAA National

Marine Fisheries facility in Woods Hole Massachusetts. A third FSV is under construction at VT Halter Marine and a fourth is planned, but yet to be funded.

Matt Hawkins, who also serves as the Vice Chair of

UNOLS R/V Operators Committee points out that, "With careful design starting from the initial concepts; achieving these underwater radiated noise goals is not unreasonable; even for a vessel not solely dedicated to fisheries work. All future R/V's should strive to meet these underwater radiated noise goals because noise impact on the underwater environment is a growing con- cern and to study the effects of acoustics, and to use acoustic tools for survey, you really need a quiet vessel.

The additional cost appears to be mostly up-front, and in very rough terms, it appears to be around 30% more than a conventional vessel not meeting ICES."

Underwater Noise has been not just the military's prob- lem for at least five years in the U.S. However, the prob- lem is still limited to the Federal government and state organizations. The commercial and private sector has had some involvement with underwater vessel noise, but that is more exception rather than the rule at this time.

Commercial technology and ship design are ready and available for low underwater noise vessels and the premi- ums should only be getting lower as time passes.

Michael Bahtiarian is a Vice President at Noise Control

Engineering in Billerica, Massachusetts. He started his career at General Dynamics Electric Boat Division as a sound and vibration engineer on the Seawolf (S6W) program. He has a

Bachelors degree in mechanical engineering from

Pennsylvania State University and a Master's degree in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). Mr. Bahtiarian is also a Board Certified acoustical engineer by the Institute of Noise Control Engineers (INCE).

Mr. Bahtiarian and Noise Control Engineering continue to be involved in both the NOAA FRV-40 and the University of Delaware projects. He can be contacted at mikeb@noise- control.com.

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