The Thomas G. Thompson moored at UW Marine Sciences Building dock on Portage Bay. The smaller research vessel Clifford A. Barnes is in the foreground. The I-5 bridge can be seen in the background (to the west).

Introduction to tours of the Research Vessel Thomas G. Thompson

A personal tour of a large oceanographic vessel, even when it is tied to a dock, can be a formative educational experience for young and old, alike. This guide is intended to make it easier for interested educators, UW oceanography graduate students, faculty, and staff to organize and give tours of the Thomas G. Thompson research vessel.

Step 1: Schedule the tour

  1. Peruse the current ship schedule. When will it be in port?
  2. Contact Captain Daniel Schwartz about scheduling details. Will the ship be at the UW dock, or elsewhere in Seattle? Are there plans for any exclusive or dangerous activities, like Coast Guard inpections/drills or un/loading of heavy equipment?

Step 2: Plan the details of the tour

Work with Captain Schwartz (and any other contacts you have at the UW, like graduate student willing to give the tour) to work out final details like who will give the tour (a student, post-doc, faculty member, crew member, or Captain) and what parts of the ship you would like emphasized.

A typical 1-1.5 hour tour might like this:

  1. Board on the fan tail and talk about the science that is done from there, describe what its like in a rough sea, and tell a few personal stories about experiences working on deck. Talk about the A-frame and cranes.
  2. Proceed forward via the starboard side to the main science lab, noting the bay and the CTD boom.
  3. In the main lab, talk about how samples and data are moved inside and processed. Take a jog back to the wet lab if you like.
  4. Cross the passageway to the port side to the main computer room. Talk about the instrumentation that is typically used (GPS, currents [ADCP], depth, wind, T, S, barometric P, O2, PAR, etc). You could also note that most of the data are integrated here in real time via the Data Aquisition System (DAS). Mention that most scientists now leave the ship with a CDROM containing all the data acquired during a cruise. This might also be a good time to comment on new instrumentation (the EM300 bathymetric mapping system, for example). Finally, you can foreshadow the bridge by mentioning the redundant navigation tools and controls.
  5. Go down central companionway 1 deck, and the port to exercise room and grad student cabin.
  6. Then go up the same companionway to the 2nd deck. At the top of the companionway, ask which way the bow is. Take a quick walk through galley, library, movie/lounge, and incinerator.
  7. Exit starboard and walk forward past life rafts to the bow.
  8. Come aft, re-enter to gain access to the forward companionway, and then ascend to a Principal Investigator's or Captain's cabin.
  9. Continue up to the bridge, as well as radio alcove and winch operator stations.
  10. If you have extra time, you can descend and show the science stores and/or bosun locker. Or you can descend externally to the fan tail, noting the launch and ctd winches en route.

Please note that the engine room and Z-drives are generally off limits. They generators are often operating while in port, so a tour below decks is dangerous and ineffective (too loud to talk). It sometimes works to end up on the fan tail with a discussion of the winches, engines, generators, and dynamic positioning (DP) systems that are underfoot. A walk over to the Ocean Science Building lobby is nice if you want to leave a group not standing in the rain, but perusing the past (heat probes, BTs, grabs) and future (glider) of oceanography...

Step 3: Brush up on your Thompson trivia

The Thompson G. Thompson (TGT) is a state-of-the-art 274-foot, 3000 ton vessel that can operate virtually anywhere in the world's oceans. It is owned by the National Science Foundation and operated by the University of Washington (UW) School of Oceanography as part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) fleet. It is an AGOR 23 vessel, meaning it is the classified by the U.S. Navy as an "Oceanographic Research Ship" (AGOR=Auxiliary ?? Oceanographic Research). Younger AGOR 23 class ships in the national fleet are: the ROGER REVELLE, the ATLANTIS, and the KILO MOANA.

Facts and Figures

History: Laid down, 29 March 1989 at Halter Marine Inc., Gulfport MS; Launched, 27 July 1990; Delivered to the Navy, 8 July 1991, as R/V Thomas G Thompson (T-AGOR-23); Leased to University of Washington, School of Oceanography, July 1991.

Specifications: Displacement, 2,155 t.(lt) 3,200 t.(fl); Length, 274'; Beam, 53'; Draft, 19' (max); Speed 12.5kts; Complement 25 civilian mariners, 34 scientists; Propulsion, diesel-electric, two 3,000hp z-drives.

Other pertinent links

created: 4/16/02, SRV
last updated: 12/13/2004