The Ship

THE ice-strengthened Research Vessel Laurence M. Gould provides science support to the Antarctic region and onboard facilities for fieldwork in oceanography, marine biology and geophysics.

This multi-disciplinary research platform enables scientists to conduct cutting-edge research in subjects ranging from astronomy to oceanography at remote sites on the Antarctic continent and surrounding oceans.

It is equipped with a Baltic Room, a diverse sonar suite, an aquarium room, moon pool, and an uncontaminated seawater system delivering water to labs.

The ship has an available horsepower of 4,576 in open water and 3,900 horsepower in ice. An ABS-A1 rating classifies the LMG as being capable of breaking one foot of first-year ice while maintaining forward motion. The LMG is known for its heave-pitch motion, so we expect a rough ride.

It’s designed for year-round polar operations and at 70 meters in length, can accommodate 28 scientists and staff for up to 75 days. Scientists sleep in two-person cabins with private toilets and showers. There are laundry facilities, exercise rooms and a TV lounge plus canteen-style meals. When a storm hits, everything is locked down.

Boot washing stations are set up in the gangway for crews to clean their boots before getting on and off the ship. Rinsing boots minimizes the risk of transferring soil, plant material or other non-native organic matter to sites.

The ship is owned and operated by Louisiana-based Edison Chousest Offshore. It was named in honor of Laurence McKinley Gould. Gould was second-in-command to Admiral Richard E. Byrd on his first Antarctic expedition in 1929 and helped establish the Little America base camp on the Ross Ice Shelf. From this base, his team explored the Antarctic continent. Gould died in 1995, shortly before the National Science Foundation launched the R/V Laurence M. Gould.