On April 19, 2007, several members of the University of Delaware Board of Trustees became honorary scientific crewmembers of the R/V Hugh R. Sharp—the newest research vessel in the fleet of the College of Marine and Earth Studies.
After a safety briefing by Captain Bill Byam, the visitors took a “stem to stern” tour of the vessel. They also heard about her design, construction, delivery and commissioning from Matt Hawkins, director of marine operations. Hawkins noted that the Sharp operates as a member of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) and being used as the model for future ships in the UNOLS fleet.
Chief Scientists Dr. Moshen Badiey, Dr. Kuo-Chuin Wong and Dr. Art Trembanis briefed the visitors on the day’s research mission. The scientists are studying the physical and chemical properties of Delaware Bay. On this day, they used a rosette CTD (Conductivity-Temperature-Depth) recorder to measure salinity, temperature, pressure and depth. They also demonstrated DOERRI, UD’s Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV).
After an enlightening visit, the trustees boarded a small boat to return to shore while the Sharp continued on her research mission to better understand our coastal waters.