R/V CAPE HATTERAS is a regional zone research vessel available for use by any researcher with a meritorious oceanographic project. The ship is 135 feet long, 32 feet wide and displaces 539 tons; fuel tanks hold 29,000 gallons which will carry the ship to 6,800 miles; maximum cruise duration is about 25 days. The ship carries 14 scientists (one Duke Marine Technician plus 13 others) and offers a versatile platform for oceanographic research in biology, geology, physics, and chemistry. The ship has a nominal draft of 9 feet for near coast operations.
Ship time requests may originate from scientists located at any university or institution in the United States. Ship costs for NSF-supported research projects are provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) directly to Duke University as part of the annual NSF fleet support grants. Investigators seeking research support from agencies other than NSF should include ship costs in their budgets to the agencies. Nonfunded research projects may be accommodated only on a space-available, non-interference basis. Since CAPE HATTERAS receives a majority of its operating costs from the National Science Foundation, NSF research projects requiring ship time receive priority in scheduling; however, during recent years a significant amount of research supported by other agencies and sources has been scheduled in addition to the NSF research.
For further information, please consult the other information available on the R/V CAPE HATTERAS web site, or contact: Executive Officer, Duke/UNC Oceanographic Consortium, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, North Carolina 28516-9721; telephone (252) 504-7579.