Original upload date: Thu, 30 Jul 2015 00:00:00 GMT
Archive date: Fri, 03 Dec 2021 10:52:37 GMT
SAHARA was originally named "Oceanographer" and was built by Aerojet General Shipyards at Jacksonville, Florida. At 303 feet (92 meters) in length she was the largest vessel constructed for research p
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urposes to date. Her stark white paint, large radome aft of the funnels and heavy crane on the aft deck gave her a distinctive appearance. She had chemistry, wet and dry oceanographic, meteorological, gravimetric, and photographic laboratories. She also had several precision oceanographic winches.USC&GS Oceanographer entered service with the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey on 13 July 1966, the second Coast and Geodetic Survey ship of the name, serving as flagship of the Survey's fleet. When the Coast and Geodetic Survey and other United States Government agencies combined to form NOAA in 1970, she became flagship of the NOAA fleet and, as NOAAS Oceanographer, the first NOAA ship to bear the name.
This vessel has many unique, and valuable attributes, some of which are very advanced, such as diesel electric propulsion by Westinghouse. It also has a 'moon pool' for diving from inside the hull, and a pressurized walk-in bulbous-bow with portholes that serves as a unique underwater observatory. There could be no place better than this for observing dolphins at play.
The last owner started a major re-fit program on the vessel in Seattle, but misfortunes kept him from completing the tasks.
