Art Anderson Associates provided naval architecture and marine engineering services for the reactivation of the NOAA Ship Fairweather. Originally commissioned with NOAA in 1968, the ship was deactivated in 1989, but a critical backlog of surveys for nautical charts in Alaska was a motivating factor to reactivate the ship in 2004.

Our scope of services for the reactivation included many intricate tasks. We prepared specification and installation drawings, to provide and install a suitable machinery monitoring and control system for an automated engine room. The system includes additional monitoring points for bilge alarms at all tank top locations throughout the ship, refrigerator and freezer alarms, chill water drain tank, and bow thruster critical points. We provided specification and installation drawings to provide and install a suitable fire alarm and detection system (FADS) in compliance with 46CFR 160.002, similar to that currently installed on the NOAA Ship Rainier.

Art Anderson Associates also successfully developed the fantail arrangement and foundation drawings. This task involved the integration of the foundation for the Conductivity, Temperature and Depth Instrument (CTD). The CTD is connected to the ship by means of a conducting cable and data are sent electronically through this cable, in real-time, to the scientists on the ship. We prepared installation drawings for the high speed high resolution (HSHR) winches and the installation of new fairlead padeyes. The fantail not only meets American Bureau of Shipbuilders standards for fantail arrangements, but also added improved mission capability to the vessel.

One of the most intricate tasks was preparing the specification and installation drawings for the installation of two steam boilers and the conversion of the existing hot water heating system to steam. This included sizing the boilers for the expected load for all consumers, including the new evaporators.

We also provided specs and drawings for the incinerator installation; evaporator installation, boat davit installation, food service modifications, living accommodation modifications, pilothouse modifications, elevator conversions, and greywater drain modifications.

The Fairweather is outfitted primarily for hydrographic survey missions, but is capable of many other functions that support various NOAA missions. She is equipped with multi-beam survey systems; high-speed, high-resolution side-scan sonar; position and orientation systems, hydrographic survey launches, and an on-board data-processing server. Increased mission space and deck machinery enable Fairweather to be tasked with anything from buoy operations to fisheries research cruises.