Keels laid for AGOR research vessels

SEPTEMBER 2—A keel laying and dedication ceremony was recently held at Dakota Creek Industries, Anacortes, WA, for AGOR-27 and 28, the first two of a new class of advanced Oceanographic Research Vessels.

Naval architecture and marine engineering firm Guido Perla & Associates, Inc. (GPA), Seattle, WA, designed the research vessels vessel during a Phase I design competition.  GPA is now providing detail and production engineering for Dakota Creek Industries throughout the construction phase.

The 3,204 long ton AGOR-27 will have an overall length of 238 ft, beam of 50 ft and draft of 15 ft. The research vessel will have a sustained speed of 12 knots with a range of 11,500 nautical miles and an endurance of 40 days.

The $145 million Navy-owned vessels, designed as seagoing laboratories, will be operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, and the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA, and support ocean science for the next 30 years. 

When it is delivered in 2014, the AGOR-27 will replace the 1970-built M/V Knorr.

Since being awarded the project contract, GPA has completed several demanding deliverables within schedule requirements as well as provided in-depth progress status to Dakota Creek Industries and NAVSEA on a reoccurring basis. These deliverables included: providing the complete functional design, developing a substantial amount of work packages, and completing significant portions of the 3D ShipConstructor model used for production. This allowed Dakota Creek Industries to begin production immediately once authorized by NAVSEA.

“We are extremely pleased to be able to continue our long and productive relationship with GPA,” says Dick Nelson, Dakota Creek Industries owner and president. “They have been our partner throughout the entire process, providing tremendous value from the start of design and now into production.”