posted 04-13-2013 01:24 PM               

Secretary of the Navy Names R/V Sally Ride

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today (April 12) the names of seven ships... [including] an ocean-class auxiliary general oceanographic research (AGOR) ship, the R/V Sally Ride.

"As secretary of the Navy, I have the great privilege of naming ships that will represent America with distinction as part of the fleet for many decades to come," Mabus said. "These ships were all named to recognize the hard working people from cities all around our country who have contributed in so many ways to our Navy and Marine Corps team."

Mabus named the future R/V Sally Ride (AGOR 28), which will be a Neil Armstrong-class AGOR ship, to honor the memory of Sally Ride, a professor, scientist and an innovator at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego. Ride was the first woman and also the youngest person in space. She later served as director of NASA's Office of Exploration.

Traditionally, AGORs are named for nationally recognized leaders in exploration and science. The R/V Sally Ride is the first academic research ship to be named in honor of a woman.

"Sally Ride's career was one of firsts and will inspire generations to come," said Mabus. "I named R/V Sally Ride to honor a great researcher, but also to encourage generations of students to continue exploring, discovering and reaching for the stars."

The ship will be a well-equipped modern oceanographic research platform that includes acoustic equipment capable of mapping the deepest parts of the oceans, and modular onboard laboratories providing the flexibility to meet a wide variety of oceanographic research challenges. These make them capable of supporting a wide range of oceanographic research activities conducted by academic institutions and national laboratories. The research vessel will be outfitted with multi-drive low-voltage diesel electric propulsion systems. This upgraded system will help maintain efficiency while lowering maintenance and fuel costs.

The Neil Armstrong-class AGOR ship will be 238 feet in length, have a beam length of 50 feet, and can operate at more than 12 knots. AGOR 28 will be built by Dakota Creek Industries, Inc. in Anacortes, Wash.

posted 02-25-2014 03:45 AM               

R/V Neil Armstrong (right) waits to be launched next to its sister ship, R/V Sally Ride in late 2013.

Photos of the R/V Sally Ride's construction can be viewed here.

(Photo credit: Gary McGrath/WHOI)

posted 08-10-2014 01:19 PM               

Navy christens new research ship for Sally Ride, first US woman in space

The U.S. Navy has honored America's first woman in space, christening its newest research ship after the late astronaut Sally Ride.

Tam O'Shaughnessy, Ride's life partner and successor as chief executive officer at the science education company Sally Ride Science, broke the traditional champagne bottle across the bow of the R/V Sally Ride during the naming ceremony held at the Dakota Creek Industries shipyard in Anacortes, Washington on Saturday (Aug. 9).

"For the United States of America, I christen thee 'Sally Ride,'" O'Shaughnessy stated just before striking the bow. "May God bless this ship and all who sail in her."

posted 07-14-2016 10:59 PM               

ONR Welcomes New Research Ship to Navy's Ranks

In honor of the first American female astronaut, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) recently welcomed the U.S. Navy's newest research vessel — R/V Sally Ride — for ocean science.

The Navy's Superintendent of Shipbuilding received the ship from the Dakota Creek Industries shipyard in Anacortes, Washington, and ONR delivered it to officials from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Scripps will operate and maintain the Sally Ride under a charter lease agreement with ONR, which manages the ship on behalf of the Navy.

"The Navy plays a major role in supporting the national research fleet by delivering cutting-edge research vessels like the Sally Ride," said Dr. Frank Herr, head of ONR's Ocean Battlespace Sensing Department. "The Sally Ride is a next-generation research ship that's sure to make new maritime discoveries and scientific breakthroughs, and contribute to the Navy's overall mission."

The Sally Ride takes the place of the recently retired R/V Melville, which Scripps — one of the world's foremost centers for ocean, atmosphere and Earth science research — operated from 1969 to 2014. The Melville sailed over 1.5 million miles, mapped the deepest spot on the planet and made the first observations of deep-ocean volcanic eruptions.

"Thousands of peer-reviewed scientific articles written by scientists who sailed on Melville have significantly advanced our knowledge of the Earth and its oceans," said Program Officer Tim Schnoor, who oversees ONR's research vessel programs.

"The Sally Ride, like her namesake, will support new discoveries in our Earth's oceans over the course of the next 30 or more years," Schnoor continued. "The ship will be outfitted with the latest oceanographic instrumentation to support science at sea and instruction of the next generation of seagoing oceanographers. This work will be essential to gaining a greater understanding of the Earth's changing climate and learning more about the ocean environment in which the Navy operates."

ONR's delivery of the Sally Ride to Scripps continues a tradition that stretches back nearly 70 years. Since the end of World War II, the Navy has provided state-of-the-art research ships to select universities and oceanographic institutions so they could perform scientific studies of the marine environment.

These ships comprise the U.S. Academic Research Fleet, whose research at sea supports Navy and national oceanographic research objectives and trains the next generation of oceanographers.

The 238-foot Sally Ride can sail on cruises as long as 40 days and accommodate both a 20-person crew and up to 24 scientists. The vessel has multi-beam bottom-mapping and ocean current profiling sonars, advanced meteorological sensors and satellite data transmission systems. It also features the latest navigation and ship-positioning systems and a specially designed hull that improves sonar acoustic performance.

The Sally Ride will spend the next month being outfitted with equipment, spare parts, food and other supplies needed for basic ship operations. In August, it will begin "shake-down" cruises, an opportunity to test the ship's capabilities, as it goes from the shipyard in Washington to its ultimate homeport in San Diego, where Scripps is located. Upon arrival there, it will begin a series of science verification cruises to test its installed systems and ensure its readiness for conducting future research missions.

In October, the Sally Ride will begin federally funded research operations.