RV ''Hero'' was a

research vessel A research vessel (RV or R/V) is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated ...

that operated in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

for the

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...

between 1968 and 1984, after which she was laid up until she sank in 2017.

Career

''Hero'', named after the sloop that

Nathaniel 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 Stonin ...

sailed when he sighted Antarctica, was launched in 1968 by the shipyard of Harvey F. Gamage in South Bristol, Maine. Made from native-oak timbers, Oregon fir, and also tropical greenheart from Guyana, South America. She arrived in Antarctica at

Palmer Station Palmer Station is a United States research station in Antarctica located on Anvers Island, the only US station located north of the Antarctic Circle. Initial construction of the station finished in 1968. The station, like the other U.S. Antarcti ...

for the first time in December, and as part of the U.S. Antarctic Research Program, for the next sixteen years, she transported scientists around the continent to perform research. She was the first vessel to be dedicated full time to scientists at Palmer Station, allowing them access to areas further afield they had been previously unable to access reliably. Pieter J. Lenie (1923-2015), was the (Belgian born) American captain during the Antarctic time. After the 1984 research season, she was decommissioned, and then ''Hero'' was acquired by the Port of Umpqua for $5,000 and the non-profit International Oceanographic Hero Foundation was formed by local residents with the intention to restore ''Hero'' into a museum ship. The foundation ran short of money and members, and was unable to find funding to pay for either restoration or maintenance of the vessel, and was dissolved in 1997. After an unsuccessful effort by former ''Hero'' crewmember John Morrison to purchase and restore the vessel, she was sold at auction to local fisherman Bill Wechter in 2000, who was able to move ''Hero'' to drydock for some restoration, and later moved her to

Newport, Oregon Newport is a city in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. It was incorporated in 1882, though the name dates back to the establishment of a post office in 1868. Newport was named for Newport, Rhode Island. As of the 2010 census, the city had ...

. In 2008 she was sold to another local named Sun Feather LightDancer, who moved her to Bay Center, Washington, and intended to restore her but was unable to obtain the required financing. On March 4, 2017, ''Hero'' sank at her dock in Bay Center.

Design

''Hero'' was designed by Potter and M'Arthur, Inc., of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Massachusetts as a shallow draft vessel to enter coastal waters that larger vessels then in service were unable to reach. A type SV-BP. She had a two deck wooden oak hull, sheathed with greenheart for icebreaking, and a small superstructure. For scientific work, she was outfitted with several laboratories, as well as accommodation for on board scientists in addition to her normal crew. While primarily powered by a pair of diesel engines, she was rigged as a

ketch A ketch is a two- masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast), and whose mizzen mast is stepped forward of the rudder post. The mizzen mast stepped forward of the rudder post is what distinguishes the ketch fr ...

in order to increase stability and allow for silent running, both desirable for some scientific work. She was also equipped with several winches and a work boat to support underwater research.

External links

A True "Hero": History of a Maine-Built Research Vessel
at

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

, Presented by ''Charles H. Lagerbom'', hosted by the ''Camden, ME Public Library''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hero, RV Ships built in South Bristol, Maine 1968 ships Research vessels of the National Science Foundation Maritime incidents in 2017 Research vessels of the United States