Page 57: of Marine Technology Magazine (October 2019)

ZF T ruster Tech for

R/V Roger Revelle

The research vessel Roger Revelle is currently going through an extensive mid-life re? t. One of the upgrades to the vessel is the installation of tele- scoping thruster technology from ZF Marine. The vessel is owned by the US Navy and operated by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography under a char- ter agreement with the Of? ce of Naval Research.

In the pursuit of its mission, the crew of the R/V

Roger Revelle depends on world-class navigation and station-keeping systems on a daily basis. To meet this need the vessel was built with a powerful propulsion system designed to keep it in position anywhere around the globe, in varied weather and sea states. Currently undergoing a major dry dock period as part of a mid-life upgrade, the vessel is re- ceiving an 1,100 hp ZF Marine ZF AT 5011 RT TT-

FP L-Drive Retractable Thruster. The telescoping design allows it to extend downward from the hull, where it can operate as an azimuth thruster, rotating 360 degrees. When retracted, it operates as a stan- dard tunnel thruster. The result is a multi-functional solution that provides traditional bow maneuvering in port while increasing station-keeping perfor- mance of the vessel when on station at sea.

Operational control of the unit will be through ZF

ThrusterCommand electronic controls. ZF Marine will be supplying the same system for the sister- ship, R/V Atlantis, during that vessel’s mid-life re- ? t, scheduled to start in 2020.

Images: ZF www.marinetechnologynews.com

Marine Technology Reporter 57

MTR #8 (50-63).indd 57 10/9/2019 8:46:21 PM