The Narragansett Dawn, the University of Rhode Island’s pending research vessel and the second of three ships, has been delayed since her original arrival date in 2023 due to issues with construction.
The vessel is being built at Bollinger Shipyard in Houma, Louisiana, where Hurricane Ida hit in 2021, according to Erich Grubel, the manager of scientific services for URI Marine Operations. While Ida didn’t damage the shipyard, ship workers retired during the pandemic.
The shipyard is still hiring and training new employees to build the ships, according to Grubel.
Besides the Narragansett Dawn, two other ships are in construction, according to Grubel. The first is Taani, for the University of Oregon, and Gilbert R. Mason, for the University of Southern Mississippi.
“[Construction] is still a struggle, I think, not just for our ship, but all ships being built in the [United States].” Grubel said.
The Narragansett Dawn is a complicated ship, according to Grubel. Construction started in 2018 and she will be 10 feet longer and 10 feet wider than Endeavor – URI’s current ship, as well as an additional top deck.
“It’s not easy to build, so that also exacerbates the workforce issue,” Grubel said.
The new scheduled arrival date for the vessel is Aug. 6, 2026, according to Thomas Glennon, assistant port engineer for the Graduate School of Oceanography. Once construction is finished, URI will conduct a qualified manufacturers list, or tests, to lower risks of failure.
The new vessel will be a multipurpose ship which will conduct the same research as Endeavor, including biological coring and taking water samples, according to Glennon. This work will be done all abroad, from the North Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.
GSO has partnered with the East Coast Oceanographic Consortium, made up of universities along the East Coast, according to Grubel. The partnership, led by URI, ensures the success of getting new research vessels online.
Obtaining the Narragansett Dawn will improve infrastructure on the Narragansett Bay Campus, according to Grubel. To assist in the arrival, fueling and electrical work, the university built a new dock for her on May 5, 2023. The money for the boat came from the National Science Foundation, according to a Good Five Cent Cigar article, totalling $125 million.
While there are enough workers to build the ships, the original workers affected by the hurricane and the pandemic haven’t returned, according to Grubel. The process of construction is still ongoing and after it’s finished, the ships need to be tested before arriving at their respective universities.
“There is a shortage of maritime professionals right now,” Grubel said. “If people out there are interested in going to sea for a career, these are really good paying jobs.”
The Endeavor will return to the National Science Foundation where they will decide the outcome of where she will end up, according to Grubel. Potential options include selling the Endeavor to a private buyer or donating the ship, according to Glennon.
The NSF told the three universities who were receiving the research ships that they are only going to fund one previous ship, according to Grubel.
