Newswise — The University of Delaware commissioned the Research Vessel Hugh R. Sharp, the newest and most advanced coastal research ship in the nation, during ceremonies Sunday afternoon, May 7, at the College of Marine Studies campus in Lewes.
UD President David P. Roselle welcomed guests, including William M. W. Sharp, who spoke on behalf of the Sharp family. Other speakers were Nancy M. Targett, dean of UD's College of Marine Studies; Matthew J. Hawkins, UD's director of marine operations; and David Longdale, general manager of Dakota Creek Industries, which built the Hugh R. Sharp at its Anacortes, Wash., shipyard.
The 146-foot Hugh R. Sharp replaces the Cape Henlopen, which had been in continuous service since 1976. The new ship was designed by Bay Marine of Barrington, R.I., and built by Dakota Creek Industries. It arrived in Lewes in January 2006, and already has begun its research mission.
The Hugh R. Sharp features a modular design to enhance flexibility of use and features modern laboratories onboard, as well as the capability to carry two additional portable laboratories.
The diesel-electric vessel's design also may allow for testing and fitting to incorporate new fuel-cell technologies as they develop. Noise Control Engineering of Billerica, Mass., produced a design to ensure that the ship will be as quiet as possible when under way, in keeping with the high standards recommended in the International Convention for Exploration of the Seas. These standards are based on the hearing ability of fish and were adopted so that during science operations, the ship itself does not influence the behavior of the fish being studied.
Also, the ship has been outfitted with leading edge communication systems and has the ability to handle remotely operated vehicles and underwater robotic devices.
"Our new ship is a remarkable addition to the U.S. oceanographic research fleet," Targett said. "It will serve marine scientists throughout the Mid-Atlantic region as a state-of-the-art platform for exploring and sampling the coastal ocean." Like the Cape Henlopen, the Hugh R. Sharp will operate as a member of the U.S. academic research fleet via the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS), a consortium of 64 academic institutions and national research laboratories. One of UNOLS' chief functions is to ensure the efficient scheduling of scientific cruises aboard the 26 research vessels located at 20 of its member institutions.
William Byam is captain of the ship and Matthew J. Hawkins is UD's director of marine operations.
Funding for the new vessel was provided by the University of Delaware, private donations, the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research.The ship is named for Hugh R. Sharp, the great-great-grandson of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, the founder of the DuPont Co. Sharp served on the company's board of directors for nearly half a century and was a trustee of the University of Delaware for almost 20 years. He died in 1990 at the age of 81.
In the early 1970s, Sharp helped raise money to purchase UD's first research vessel, the Cape Henlopen, by organizing a group of private philanthropists known as "Plank Owners."
He initiated a group of friends of the marine college called the Marine Associates and helped to establish several laboratories and an endowed professorship in marine biochemistry. The University's campus in Lewes also is named for him.
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