Page 11: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 2012)

GPA Wins Deisgn Deal for T-AGOR 27 Guido Perla & Associates, Inc. (GPA) won a contract to deliver the Regulatory Design and Detail/Production Design forthe T-AGOR-27 Ocean Class Research Vessel. The basic design was developed by GPA during a NAVSEA sponsored de- sign competition while under contractwith Dakota Creek Industries (DCI) and partnered with leading marine industryequipment vendors. The Navy-owned vessel will be operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. GPA will support DCI, a shipyard in Anacortes, WA, near Seattle, throughout the construction and delivery of the ves- sel. GPA was hired by DCI to provide a basic design during the Phase I NAVSEA design competition. This phase required development of an original design of the vessel including hull form, structure, arrangements and systems, and integra- tion of equipment from vendors through- out the marine industry to meet ademanding government specification and limited budget. GPA?s unique hull form was optimized for sonar operations and fuel efficiency and was model tested dur- ing this phase to verify conformation with Navy requirements. This year long process involved multiple design reviews to U.S. Navy and other government or- ganizations and some ABS regulatory re- view. The T-AGOR-27, an advanced oceanographic research vessel, will have the capability of carrying sufficient sup- plies and support systems to stay at seafor up to 40 days, covering up to 10,000 nautical miles and withstanding high seaand wind conditions. These capabilities, combined with the ability to operate 75%of the time during the Pacific Northwest and North Atlantic?s winter months and powerful ocean exploration equipment and instrumentation, will provide for su- perior operations. The highly developed equipment includes:A multibeam seafloor mapping sys- tem for deep and shallow water A sub-bottom profiler to map sedi- ments below the seafloor An acoustic doppler current profiler to map currents in the water column Precise navigation tools for tracking instruments in the water beneath the ship An array of networked sensors to measure atmospheric and ocean proper- ties.The total variable science load, in part stored in up to 2,000 sq. ft. of internallabs and facilities, is 100-200 long tons. These facilities will include a wide vari- ety of lab types with reconfigurable benches, cabinetry and special electricalrequirements, storage for hazardous ma-terials, repair facilities for equipment and systems providing uncontaminated sea- water. Besides the indoor facilities, the scientists require a 2,000 ft2 working area in the stern up top that can handle arange of temporary equipment, 80 ft2 ofclear deck area alongside one rail, as wellas a range of recovery equipment, in- cluding winches, wires, cranes, frames,booms and others. Other deck areas willbe used to handle incubators, vans, work- boats and other temporary equipment. The T-AGOR-27 is scheduled for de- livery in late 2014. January 2012www.marinelink.com 11MR Jan.12 # 2 (10-17):MR Template 1/10/2012 10:47 AM Page 11