Okeanos Becomes North Kingstown's Newest Resident [video]

Past the sea of Porsches, Audis and other vehicles along Davisville Road, Quonset welcomed its newest tenant to the Port of Davisville – the Okeanos Explorer.

The 224-foot vessel is National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration’s (NOAA) newest ship and is one of the most technologically advanced in the country, designed to investigate and explore the deepest portions of the ocean floor. Since its commission in 2009, the vessel has mapped areas of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans and even discovered a new vent field in the Galapagos area. Starting this month, Okeanos will call the Port of Davisville home for the next decade.

Dr. Jane Lubchenco, an administrator with NOAA, described the Okeanos as “nation’s first vessel and only vessel devoted solely to ocean exploration” and was pleased to have it docked at Quonset, considering the area’s “distinguished maritime history” and proximity to the University of Rhode Island.

“As Robert Ballard has said, we know far less about the depths of our ocean than the far side of the moon,” said Lubchenco, highlighting the importance of the Okeanos’ mission.

Getting the Okeanos to Quonset was a years-long process for U.S. Senator Jack Reed, who sits on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce Justice and Science which oversees funding for NOAA. Reed helped secure more than $23 million in federal funding to make the Okeanos the first U.S. government ship dedicated to ocean exploration and bring her to Quonset.

“We would not be here today and that ship would not be here today if it wasn’t for one person and that person is Jack Reed,” said. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.

Deep-sea exploration was not always the function of this vessel, however. Prior to 2004, Okeanos was known as the U.S. Naval ship Capable before being transferred over to NOAA. Now converted to a research vessel, Okeanos uses its 3D mapping system and remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs) to provide high resolution maps. The ship’s ROVs have a capability to operate at depths of 6,000 meters, or 3.7 miles.

Okeanos will remain at Pier One at the Port of Davisville until February before she and the crew of 46 embark on their exploration next year in the Gulf of Mexico.