RV Sonne
 Sonne as ARA Austral | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name: | RV Sonne |
| Operator: | RF Forschungsschiffahrt GmbH |
| Port of registry: |
 Bremen, Germany |
| Route: | Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean |
| Builder: | Rickmers Werft, Bremerhaven, Germany |
| Laid down: | August 1968 |
| Out of service: | August 2014 |
| Renamed: | 25 June 2015, to ARA Austral |
| Identification: |
|
| Fate: | Transferred to Argentina |
| History | |
 Argentina | |
| Name: | Austral |
| Owner: | CONICET |
| Operator: | Argentine Navy |
| Cost: | $54,192,935 ARS, €5,150,000 |
| Acquired: | 12 December 2014 |
| In service: | 7 November 2015 |
| Status: | in active service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Research vessel |
| Displacement: | 4,952 Tonnes |
| Length: | 97.61 m (320 ft 3 in) |
| Beam: | 14.20 m (46 ft 7 in) |
| Draught: | 6.80 m (22 ft 4 in) |
| Installed power: |
|
| Propulsion: | Diesel-electrical system |
| Speed: | 12.0 knots (22.2 km/h) |
| Crew: | 25 + 25 scientists |
The RV Sonne (German for 'Sun') is a former German fishing trawler converted into a research vessel by Schichau Unterweser AG, doing mostly geoscience-related work for a variety of commercial and scientific clients. She was registered in Bremen.[1] In 2015 she was sold to the Argentine institute CONICET and was renamed ARA Austral. [2][3] A new geoscientific research ship, also called RV Sonne, replaced her role in Germany that same year.[4]
Career
Rickmers Werft built Sonne in 1969 as a stern trawler and delivered her to Hochseefischerei Nordstern. From her homeport of Bremerhaven she operated mainly in the waters around Iceland, Greenland and Labrador.
Sonne was converted for use in a scientific exploration role by Schichau Unterweser AG in 1977 and by Rickmers Werft in 1978. In 1991 Schichau-Seebeck-Werft lengthened and modernized her.[1]
An order worth €124.4 million for a new geoscientific research ship was placed by the German federal ministry for education and research (90%) together with the coastal states Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Bremen and Hamburg (10%) in May 2011. The new ship, also called Sonne, was built in Meyer Werft in Papenburg, and replaced the old Sonne in 2015.[4] Its launch took place on 5 April 2014.[5]
The last German cruise of RV Sonne took place in August 2014, after which she was retired from German scientific use.
Argentine service
She was sold to the Argentinian institute CONICET for € 5.150.000 and she arrived in the Argentine Navy Naval base Mar del Plata in February 2015. In June she was renamed ARA Austral. Austral is operated by a Navy crew, on behalf of the CONICET.[2][3]
In popular culture
Sonne appears in Frank Schätzing's novel The Swarm in connection with methane measurements off the Norwegian coast.[6]
See also
- RV Sonne (2014) - the successor of RV Sonne
References
Notes
- 1 2 "RV Sonne - datasheet in English language" (PDF, 1.6 MB). www.rf-bremen.com. RF Forschungsschiffahrt GmbH. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
- 1 2 Periodico Tribuna - El Gobierno compró buque nuevo (y miles de litros de alcohol para celebrar)
- 1 2 Telam - La Presidenta encabezó la presentación del buque de investigación ARA Austral
- 1 2 Nestler, Ralf (31 May 2011). "Sonnenaufgang für die Meeresforscher" [Sunrise for marine researchers]. www.tagesspiegel.de (in German). Der Tagesspiegel. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
- ↑ "Das neue Forschungsschiff "Sonne" verlässt das Baudock I der MEYER WERFT". Retrieved 2014-04-06.
- ↑ Frank Schätzing. The Swarm. p. Chapter "April 22nd".
External links
- Sonne homepage (German)
- RF Forschungsschiffahrt (homepage of the shipping company operating the Sonne)
- Research Vessel Sonne (by German Marine Research Consortium)
- Cruise reports Sonne (list of all cruises with links to cruise reports and data)