The ''Nathaniel B. Palmer'' is an

icebreaking An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to sm ...

research vessel (RVIB) owned by Offshore Service Vessels LLC, operated by Edison Chouest Offshore, Inc. and chartered by the United States National Science Foundation. The ''Nathaniel B. Palmer'' is tasked with extended scientific missions in the

Antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...

. The ''Nathaniel B. Palmer'' was purpose-built for and delivered to the NSF by Edison Chouest Offshore's North American Shipbuilding facility in 1992. The ''Nathaniel B. Palmer'' is able to support up to two helicopters, accommodates up to 45 science and technical personnel, has a crew of 22 and is capable of missions lasting up to 65 days. The vessel is named after merchant mariner and ship builder

Nathaniel Brown Palmer Nathaniel Brown Palmer (August 8, 1799June 21, 1877) was an American seal hunter, explorer, sailing captain, and ship designer. He gave his name to Palmer Land, Antarctica, which he explored in 1820 on his sloop ''Hero''. He was born in Stoning ...

, credited by some historians as the first American to see Antarctica. In February 2020, researchers aboard the vessel with the international Thwaites Glacier Offshore Research (THOR) project discovered Sif Island, located in Pine Island Bay of the

Amundsen Sea The Amundsen Sea, an arm of the Southern Ocean off Marie Byrd Land in western Antarctica, lies between Cape Flying Fish (the northwestern tip of Thurston Island) to the east and Cape Dart on Siple Island to the west. Cape Flying Fish marks the ...

, in Antarctica.

Gallery

File:Corp2454.jpg, ''Nathaniel B. Palmer'' File:Icebreaker Nathaniel B Palmer.jpg

References

External links

R/V ''Nathaniel B. Palmer''s current positionUnited States Antarctic Program Vessel Science and OperationsUSAP Research Vessels news inThe Antarctic Sun
Icebreakers of the United States Research vessels of the National Science Foundation 1992 ships United States Antarctic Program {{ship-stub