Scripps Institution Acquires Another Research Vessel

The University of California at San Diego has purchased the 125- foot supply/geophysical survey vessel Midnight Alaskan from Midnight Boat Company of Berwick, La., for operation by the worldfamous Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, Calif.

The research craft will be renamed the Robert Gordon Sproul, and will be one of four vessels and two research platforms operated by Scripps, which is the oceangraphic branch of UC San Diego. Funds for the purchase were provided by the University of California; brokerage was handled by Marcon International, Inc. of Seattle.

The Midnight Alaskan is a modified Gulf Coast workboat design, built by Steiner Fabricators of Bayou La Batre, Ala., in 1981. It has been working on rig site, geophysical, pipeline, and sonar surveys for the major oil companies.

The Sproul will undergo a number of modifications for scientific outfitting, including the addition of laboratories, winches and booms, and a variety of electronic and research instruments. Main propulsion is by twin GM Detroit Diesel 12V149 engines totaling 1,400 bhp, driving Coolidge propellers through Twin Disc 5.1:1 reduction gears.

The vessel is named in honor of the man who was president of the University of California from 1930 to 1958. It will be used primarily along the California Coast and in the Gulf of California. Home port of the Scripps fleet is the Nimitz Marine Facility on Point Loma in San Diego Bay.

Other stories from September 15, 1984 issue

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