The RRS James Clark Ross (named after Admiral Sir James Clark Ross, R.N. ) was built by Swan Hunter Shipbuilders, Wallsend, UK and launched by H.M. The Queen on the 1st December 1990.

The vessel can steam at a steady two knots through level sea ice one metre thick. To assist passage through heavy pack ice a compressed air system rolls the ship from side to side freeing the passage. RRS James Clark Ross is equipped for geophysical studies, with a compressor bank to power a seismic air gun array, and large aft and starboard decks for scientific equipment deployed by aft and midships gantries. For biological studies, the vessel can deploy a wide range of sampling gear and benefits from modern underway instrumentation. The ship is designed with an extremely low noise signature to allow sensitive underwater acoustic equipment to operate effectively. Technical details are as follows:

General

Port of Registry:      Stanley, Falkland Islands

Call Sign:                 ZDLP

MMSI No:                 740339000

Class:                        Lloyds +100A1 Ice Class IAS +LMS UMS (DP-AM pending)

Length overall:         99.04 m

Breadth:                    18.85 m

Full load draft:          6.40 m

Freeboard:                3.308 m

Endurance:               12 knots cruising speed: 57 days

Propulsion:               Diesel Electric, single fixed propeller, 8500 SHP

Bow thruster:             White Gill 360° Controllable, 10 tonnes thrust

Stern thruster:           White Gill 360° Controllable, 4 tonnes thrust

Stabilisation:             Intering Active/Passive, incorporating ice heeling and overside load compensation

Manning:                   Officers 12 (+1 on science cruises)
                                    Ratings 15
                                    Doctor 1

Scientific/Expedition Accommodation

15 single berth (with Pullman berth) (14 available on science cruises)

4 x 4-berth

Chief Scientist's Suite (2 single berths available)

Maximum science complement: 31 berths

Ship's Navigation Outfit

Sperry Mk37 Mod E Dual Gyro Compasses

Sperry Autopilot Model ADG

         

Electronic Positioning:

Leica MX 400 DGPS

Ashtech G12 DGPS

 

Compasses:

Standard magnetic Cook NSK1977 electric repeater

Electronic Charting and Plotting:

Sea Information System Microplot 6 Version Survey MR

ARCS chart display

 

Radars:

Sperry Marine X and S Band

 

GMDSS-SAIT 

2 HF transceivers,  1.8 - 30 MHz,  SSB, CW and RTTY

Echo sounders:

JRC Navigational Echo Sounder

Simrad EA600 Hydrographic Sounder

Simrad EK500 200 Hz Transducer

Logs:

Sperry SRD 421S Dual Axis Doppler Log

Chernikeef Aquaprobe Mk 5 EM Log

Other:

Dartcom HRPT receiver.

Working Deck Areas

After Deck 20 m long, full deck width (370 m²)

Starboard: 5 m wide to midship (150 m²)

Forward: Starboard side main deck (130 m&'178;)

All working deck areas covered by matrix of 1-tonne capacity bolt-down points at 1 m centres (0.5 m in some areas)

Facilities for 5 laboratory containers (ISO 20 ft, 4 aft, 1 fwd)

Cranage

Forward:

Main Cargo Crane 20 tonne x 20 m

Stores Crane 2.5 tonne x 10 m

Science Crane 2 tonne x 4 m, fitted winch and slip rings

Aft:

10 tonne x 17 m, 3 tonne x 22 m

2 x 2.5 tonne capacity science cranes (with winches), pt 13 m, stb 10 m

Gantries

Aft:

Articulated 'A' frame SWL 20 T (static) (7.5 T SWL ArtArm.)

2x2 tonne handling winches on gantry frame

Midships:

Articulated 'A' frame SWL 30 T (static)

2x2 tonne handling winches adjacent

Winch Systems

Main Traction Winch 30 T SWL (serving aft and midship gantries):

Storage Drums - Superaramid Deep Coring Warp - 8000 m
Standard Coring Warp - 8000 m
Tapered Trawl Warp - 15000 m
Conducting Cable - 10000 m

CTD/Hydrographic Traction Winch 10 T SWL:

Storage Drums - Hydrographic Wire - 9000 m
Conducting Cable - 8000 m
Spare Drum

(Inboard and outboard motion compensator systems are fitted to both winches)

Biological Drum Winch: 3000 m 5 T SWL

Twin Warp Trawling System:

3000 m x 2 x 35.8 T
(A net drum winch is available for mounting on the main deck)

Gilson Winches: 2 x 5 T

Laboratories

Wet Laboratory (23.5 m²)

Main Laboratory (44.2 m²)

Rough Workshop (25.9 m²)

Scientific Workshop (19.6 m²)

Waterbottle Annex (18.1 m²

Chemistry Laboratory (18.1 m²)

Preparation Laboratory: (16.3 m²)

Biochemistry Laboratory (10.6 m²)

Microbiology/Radioactive Laboratory (10.7 m²)

Computer/Electronic/Control Spaces

Underway Instrumentation and Control Room (66.8 m²)
(incorporating Winch Control Room)

Electronics Workshop (7.2 m²)

Data Preparation Room (16.5 m²)

Computer Room (19.2 m²)

Paper and Magnetic Tape Ready-use Store (4.6 m²)

Darkroom (7.4 m²)

Other Scientific Spaces

Gravity Meter Room (5.2 m²)

Cool Specimen Room (13 m²)

Scientific Freezer (12.4 m²)

-80°C Scientific Chest Freezers x2

Scientific Hold (118 m²)

Explosives Magazine (15 T)

Hazardous Chemicals Lockers (Main Deck)

Storm Clothing Annex

Scientific Data Acquisition

Local Area Network system with back-up is installed for cruise instrumentation and equipment. Instrumentation continuously logged on the central computing systems. Facilities are available for data transmission via satellite to and from the ship.

Scientific Instrumentation

Echo Sounders and Logs

Simrad EA 600 navigational sounders

Simrad EK 500, 38 kHz, 200 kHz and 120 kHz transducers

Sub-bottom Profiler, 3.5 kHz

Precision Echo Sounder, 10 kHz

Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler

Pitch, Roll, Heave monitor/compensator

Dual Axis Doppler Log (Sperry SRD 421 S)

Electro-Mechanical Log (Chernikeef Aquaprobe Mk5)

Further information regarding these systems is on the Antarctic & Marine Engineering (AME) pages.

Navigation and Oceanography

Ship's navigation system repeated in UIC Room

Trimble 4000 Surveyor DGPS (Racal Skyfix)

PC based Oceanlogger

Ashtec GPS3DF - linked to ADCP

Dynamic Positioning System: Simrad Kongsberg SDPI 1

Scientific Services

Seismic Air Compressors

Hamworthy 4TH565W100 x 4 - capacity 555m³/hr at 136 bar

Non-contaminated Sea Water System

Retractable sampling probe 7.2/14 m³/hr

Distilled/UHP Water System

Elgastat polishing unit (ultra high purity) in chemistry laboratory

Hydraulic Power Supplies

Three pump system providing flow rates of 26, 52 and 78 ltrs/min at 200 bar to three deck manifolds (port/stb aft and midships)

Fwd deck manifold 50 ltrs at 200 bar

Hansen (female required) connections 1.25/1" BSP

Separate supplies for 'Gloria, MCS and Net Drum Winch'

Electrical Power Supplies

There are two standards of supply - general purpose which may at times have high harmonic content due to the thyristor-controlled propulsion system and clean which is provided by dedicated generators and is suitable for sensitive electronic equipment

415 v AC x 500 amo (scientific rough workshop) serving aft deck

415 v 50 Hz 3 Ph general purpose supply with 8 outlets (main deck)

240 v 50 Hz 3 Ph general purpose supply (PES pt and stb)

240 v 50 Hz 1 Ph general purpose supply with 5 outlets (various)

110 v 50 Hz 1 Ph general purpose supply to all working areas

240 v 50 Hz 1 Ph clean supply to most areas - i.e. labs, cabins, workshops etc.

110 v 60 Hz 1 Ph clean supply to limited areas - 10 outlets

Container Laboratories

Facilities and services for four containers on aft deck and one container on the fwd deck