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T-AGOR 3 Robert D Conrad

These 279 ft oceanographic ships were operated by Scripps Institution of Oceanography and by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for the Office of Naval Research. The ships were fitted with internal wells, underwater lights and observation ports, and facilities for handling small research submarines.

Following World War II, the government supported a diversity of academic oceanographic research—and the oceanographic fleet included a hodgepodge of converted wartime vessels: tugboats, minesweepers, subchasers, and escort vessels. In June 1952, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) established a panel to spark the ocean community’s interest in ship design and solicit recommendations for a purpose-built research vessel. ONR also sponsored a conference focusing on oceanographic ships, which generated important characteristics for research vessels and led to a 1955 Navy design study investigating their feasibility.

The result was the design for the Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research (AGOR)-class oceanographic ship, funded in 1960 to support the Navy’s “Ten Year Program in Oceanography”—which called for 20 research ships, including 12 for academic institutions. These latter ships are owned by the Navy but operated by universities or research organizations such as Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Construction on the 283-foot, 1,370-ton research vessel (R/V) Robert D. Conrad (AGOR 3) was completed in 1962, with 11 ships to follow over the next 5 years. However, by 1966 their limitations were recognized. So the AGOR 14 class was designed, incorporating new propulsion concepts for station keeping and maneuverability. Only two ships of this class were built: R/V Melville in 1969 and R/V Knorr in 1970.

R/V Melville was one of the AGOR series, built in response to the Navy Tenoc (Ten year plan for oceanography) in the 1960's. After experience with use of the earlier ships in the series, a number of users proposed that there should be some major modifications of design that would correct all of the observed deficiencies in R/V T-AGOR 10 Thomas Washington. As originally sketched, it was about 170 feet long, with a high bridge amidships for good visibility ahead and of the working decks astern, a wide beam, an open stern and side working area, and extremely good maneuverability using multiple thrusters. It grew during planning, and by the time the Navy's working drawings were done, it was much larger and had cycloidal propulsion instead of twin-screw and thrusters. Two ships of this design were built: Melville in 1969, and Knorr (for WHOI) in 1970, under the supervision of a Scripps yard team.

These two older AGOR ships, R/V MELVILLE (AGOR 14) and R/V KNORR (AGOR 15) were stretched, upgraded and returned to full operation in 1992. The refit, expected to take 6 months, lasted for 1.5 years, culminating in cost overruns, claims, and lawsuits only solved by a special act of Congress. The primary problems stemmed from asbestos.