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This weekend, the Queen is to launch Britain;s latest research vessel,
the RRS James Clark Ross, into the River Tyne. The 50 scientists aboard
the Natural Environment Research Council’s 35-million Pounds ship will use
it to study marine life, ancient climates and the structure of the seafloor
around Antarctica. The ship, illustrated above, weighs 2,668 tonnes and
is similar to Australia’s counterpart, the Aurora Australis, which was launched
a few weeks ago (Technology, 27 October). The ship will also provide practical
support for the British Antarctic Survey. The RRS John Biscoe, built in
1956, can no longer meet the growing needs of the BAS. The new vessel can
take seismic surveys and cores of seafloor sediments, and monitor marine
life.