R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer

Length: 308'
Width: 60'
Hull Depth: 31'
Main Engines: 12,720 Hp
Bow Thruster: 1,510 Hp
Stern Thruster: 800 Hp
Ice Certification: ABS A2
Icebreaking: 3' at 3 knots
Endurance: 75 days
Laboratory Space: 7 Labs, 5,600 square feet
Accommodations: 70 total capacity; Normal Ship Crew: 21, Scientific Party 37 (maximum)
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Charter: Antarctic Support Associates
Owner/Operator: Edison Chouest Offshore

Ship's maximum displacement (weight) at 22.5'
draft is 6,800 long tons (15,232,000 lbs)
Fuel Capacity is over 500,000 gallons
The ship can carry 12,600 gallons of helicopter fuel and two medium-sized helicopters
Over 3,000 steel plates (10'x40') were used to build the ship
810,000 linear feet of welding was used to weld the ship (153 miles)
75,000 feet of pipe was used to outfit the ship (14 miles)
The ship contains 2,700,000 feet of wire (511 miles)
3,500 light bulbs are used to light the ship
Lifeboats are 31.5' long, weigh 12,800 lbs. and can hold 74 persons (each)
Drinking water is made from seawater, maximum production - 12,000 gallons/day
Two boilers are used to circulate a water-antifreeze mixture in tanks and under the working deck to prevent freezing, - heat generation capacity of boilers: 6,600,000 btu each
Total electrical generating capacity is 4.63 million watts (nearly 4,000 hair dryers)
The steel plate in the bow is 1 9/16" thick and is twice the strength of regular steel
The steel place on the hull is made of special low-temperature steel - can withstand -60C
The ship has two main propellers - diameter 4.0 Meters (13.1') each
Ship's propellers are variable pitch, with 4 blades/propellers, blades weigh 2,300 lbs each
Over 50 computers are on board performing various functions
The ship is capable of carrying over twenty 20' cargo containers