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Utility Navigation

OMAO administers the NOAA fleet of ships & aircraft and trains divers to safely facilitate Earth observation.

Specifications

Bell M. Shimada Specifications (OMAO , pdf, 383.68 KB)

Design Specifications
DESIGNER Halter Marine
BUILDER Halter Marine, Inc., 
Moss Point, Mississippi 
LAUNCHED September 26, 2008 
DELIVERED January 21, 2010
COMMISSIONED August 25, 2010 
LENGTH 208.6 ft.
BREADTH 49.2 ft.
DRAFT 19.4 ft. Bow Thruster retracted
29.7 ft. Bow Thruster extended 
DEPTH TO MAIN DECK  
HULL DESCRIPTION Welded Steel/Aluminum
DISPLACEMENT 2479 tons
Speed & Endurance
EMERGENCY SPEED 14 knots
CRUISING SPEED 11 knots
RANGE 1200 nm
ENDURANCE 40 days
ENDURANCE CONSTRAINT Food
Maximum Complement
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS/MATES 5
ENGINEERS, LICENSED 5
ENGINEER, UNLICENSED 2
DECK 7
SURVEY 2
STEWARDS 2
ELECTRONIC TECHNICIANS 1
USPHS MEDICAL OFFICER 0
TOTAL CREW 24
SCIENTISTS 17
Berthing
SINGLE STATEROOMS  
DOUBLE STATEROOMS  
FOUR-PERSON STATEROOMS  
TOTAL BERTHS  
Food Service Seating Capacity
MESS ROOM 25
Ship's Navigational Equipment
RADARS (X AND S BAND) Sperry Bridgemaster/Bridge
GPS AND DGPS Simrad/MX512/2/Bridge 
GYRO COMPASS Sperry/NAVIGAT XMK1/2/Bridge
DEEPWATER AND SHALLOW NAVIGATIONAL ECHOSOUNDERS Simrad EK60, Simrad ES60, ME70, Furuno FE 700 
ECDIS Sperry/Navisalior/1/Bridge 
Scientist's Navigational Equipment
GPS AND DGPS Simrad/MX512/2/Acoustic Lab
GYRO COMPASS Sperry/NAVIGAT XMK1/2/Bridge 
DEEPWATER AND SHALLOW NAVIGATIONAL ECHOSOUNDERS Applanix Pos MV V4 
ECDIS Sperry 
CHARTING PROGRAM WITH SHIP’S POSITION Nobletech 
Laboratory Spaces and Other Scientific Spaces
TYPELOCATIONFT.2DESCRIPTION
WET LAB Main Deck STBD Aft 591 Doors open to Back Deck, Side Station, and Chem Lab. Fish handling conveyors. CUFES Pump
DRY LAB Main Deck STBD Midships 206  
ELECTRONICS/COMPUTER LAB Main Deck Port MIdships 474 Computer Access, Network access, EK60 repeater, ES60 repeater, ME70 repeater, Nobletech repeater,
CLIMATE CONTROLLED SPACE  Main Deck 61  
SCIENTIFIC FREEZER Wet Lab 402  Racks for storage of scientific samples
SCIENTIFIC REFRIGERATOR Wet Lab 55  
STORE ROOM Main Deck STBD Midships 65 Preservation Alcove, fume hood, chemical storage, chem. Shower/eye wash
SCIENTIFIC FREEZER Dry Lab 9 So-Low C85-9 minus 80 chest freezer
HYDRO LAB Main Deck STBD 179 Garage for CTDs. Doors open to Side Station, Dry Lab and Pres. Alcove
CHEM LAB Main Deck STBD Midships 270 Fume Hood, Scientific Sea Water System,
Scientific Data Collection Systems and Supportable Operations
CONDUCTIVITY, TEMP., DEPTH (CTD) WITH WATER SAMPLES SBE-9+ with Dual T&C, SBE-43 and Wetlabs FLNTU fluorometer and 12 10L bottle carousel
MULTIBEAM EQUIPPED FOR BIOLOGICAL/BATHYMETRY SURVEYS Simrad ME 70 (casrep)
ACOUSTIC CURRENT DOPPLER PROFILIER (ADCP) Teledyne RDI Ocean Surveyor, 75kHz, UMDAS acquisition system
THERMOSALINOGRAPH SBE21 and SBE45
EXPENDABLE BATHYTHERMOGRAPHS (XBT) CAPABLE  Sippican MK21 with hand held launcher mounted STBD sampling station
DIVE TEAM EQUIPPED  
FLOW THROUGH FLUOROMETER Turner 10AV Flow through fluorescence
ATMOSPHERIC CO2 DATA COLLECTION PMEL pCO2 connected to science seawater sys
MOORING DEPLOYMENT/RECOVERY CAPABLE  
PLANKTON GEAR DEPLOYEMENT 3000 m capable .375 (9.5mm) conductive cable STBD sampling station
TRAWL FISHING CAPABLE  
TRAWL SENSOR EQUIPPED Kongsberg FS70 third wire netsonde
TRAWL SENSOR EQUIPPED Simrad ITI acoustic net mensuration system
SCIENTIFIC COMPUTER SYSTEM EQUIPPED Navigation, Meteorological, and Oceanographic data acquisition system
LONG LINE FISHING GEAR EQUIPPED System warehoused
UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS (AUS) SUPPORT  
REMOTE OPERATED VEHICLES (ROVS) SUPPORT  
Data Collected by the Ship's Scientific Computer System (SCS) in the Standard Configuration
DESCRIPTIONUNITSDATA SOURCE
GPS POSITION, COG, SOG various MX420 DGPS
GYRO HEADING Deg T Sperry Gyro Navigat X Mk1
HEAVE, PITCH, ROLL, HEADING Deg Applanix PosMV V4
TRUE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION Kts / deg T RMYoung wind bird Jackstaff
TRUE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION Kts / deg T Ultrasonics Port and Starboard Main mast
RELATIVE WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION Kts /deg Rel Same sensors as above
AIR TEMP AND HUMIDITY Deg C / %   RMYoung 41382VC
BAROMETRIC PRESSURE – HEIGHT CORRECTED millibars  RMYoung / Vaisala digital
SHORT AND LONG WAVE RADIOMETER W/m^2  Eppley Labs PIR
THERMOSALINOGRAPH Deg C / psu  SBE21 and SBE45
IN LINE FLUOROMETER Raw fluors  Turner 10AU
FLOWMETER FOR SCI SEAWATER SYSTEM GPM  Signet
HULL MOUNTED SEATEMP HIGH MED LOW Deg C  Furuno
REAL TIME CTD DATA Various  Seabird, Wetlabs
DEPTH BELOW TRANSDUCER meters ES60 50/200kHz
DEPTH BELOW TRANSDUCER meters EK60 18,38,70,120, 200
DEPTH BELOW TRANSDUCER meters ME70
DEPTH BELOW SURFACE meters ES60, EK60 and ME70
SPEED THROUGH THE WATER Knots Doppler
SPEED THROUGH THE WATER Knots EM
CENTERBOARD POSITION meters N/A
PROPULSION SHAFT RPMS RPMs N/A
 PORT AND STARBOARD CRANE LOAD CELLS lbs  
 HYDROGRAPHIC WINCH READOUTS (1 &2) meters, tons Rapp Hydema
 TRAWL WINCH READOUTS ( P & S) meters, tons Rapp Hydema
 TRAWL DEPTH, TEMPERATURE meters, deg C Simrad ITI
 TPR - TRAWL POSITION RELATIVE VESSEL meters, deg R Simrad ITI
Boats
TYPEHPLENGTHMAX. PERSONSCOMMENTS
Rescue Boat (SOLAS Approved)  114 20' 6" 6  
Additional Capabilities
DYNAMIC POSITIONING CAPABLE BEIER IVCS 2000
ACCESS TO UPS ELECTRICAL POWER UPS power for scientific computers and systems 20 kVA for ~ 40 min
DOUBLE NET DRUM Rapp Hydema NDD-4000B, 2 x Dia. 419mm/dia 2750 mm x 1760 mm, Storage capacity: 2x10 2 m3
DOUBLE NET DRUM Rapp Hydema NDD-4000B, 2 x Dia 419mm / dia 2750mm x 1760 mm, Storage capacity: 2x10 2 m3
ACCESS TO CLEAN ELECTRICAL POWER  Provides clean power for scientific systems

Deck Equipment 

Hydro Winch 
QUANTITY 2
MANUFACTURER Rapp-Hydema
MODEL HW 500
DRIVE Self-Contained elect/hyrdrolic
MAX. PULL 2600 lbs
MAX. DEPTH 3000
DRUM CAPACITY 3600m of 9.5mm wire at OD=822mm
TYPE OF CABLE INSTALLED 9.5MM ROCHESTER A216375 CBL CABLE
LENGTH OF CABLE ON THE DRUM

3367m #1

3437m #2
LOCATION 01 Deck, Starboard, Amidships.
Oceanographic Winch
QUANTITY 1
MANUFACTURER Rapp Hydema
MODEL WDU-4002
DRIVE 3 motor heavy dusty drive unit
MAX. PULL 6800 lbs
DRUM CAPACITY 5100m 16 mm dia wire at OD=1690mm
TYPE OF CABLE INSTALLED 16mm 
LENGTH OF CABLE ON THE DRUM  3700m
LOCATION 2 Deck, Aft, Amidships
Trawl Winch 
QUANTITY 2
MANUFACTURER Rapp Hydema
MODEL TWS-1004
DRIVE 4 motor heavy duty drive
MAX. PULL 7200 lbs
DRUM CAPACITY 4300m 28.6 mm dia. wire at OD=1665mm
TYPE OF CABLE INSTALLED 28.6mm 6X37 GEIPS WIRE ROPE
LENGTH OF CABLE ON THE DRUM  4000m
LOCATION 2 Deck, Starboard/Port, Amidships.
3rd Wire winch
QUANTITY 1
MANUFACTURER Rapp Hydema
MODEL SOW-500
DRIVE Hydraulic Motor
DRUM CAPACITY 4700m 11mm dia. wire at OD=824 mm
TYPE OF CABLE INSTALLED 11.4 Torque balanced double armored electromechanical cable
LENGTH OF CABLE ON THE DRUM 3950m
LOCATION O2 Deck Aft Amidships
Crane, Knuckle Boom
QUANTITY 1
MANUFACTURER Appleton
MODEL KB120-67
BOOM LENGTH 67 ft.
LIFTING CAPACITY 10333 lbs.
LOCATION Main Deck, Starboard, Aft
Crane, Telescoping Boom
QUANTITY 1
MANUFACTURER Appleton
MODEL EB-70-60-25S
BOOM LENGTH 25-60ft
LIFTING CAP 8100 lbs.
LOCATION 01 Deck, Port, Aft
Crane, FWD Stores Crane
QUANTITY 1
MANUFACTURER Appleton
MODEL  
BOOM LENGTH  
LIFTING CAPACITY 3020 lbs.
LOCATION 02 Deck, Starboard, FWD
Boat Davit, FRB Davit
QUANTITY 1
MANUFACTURER Schat Harding
MODEL  
HOISTING CAPACITY  
LOCATION O1 Aft Port
BOAT TYPE Nor Safe
Anchor - Bow
QUANTITY 2
TYPE Stockless
WEIGHT 5000 lbs.
PORT ANCHOR CHAIN LENGTH 150 fathoms
STARBOARD ANCHOR CHAIN LENGTH 180 fathoms
Aft A Frame
QUANTITY 1
TYPE Moveable
CLEARANCE OVER THE SIDE 9 ft. 
HORIZONTAL CLEARNACE  20 ft.
SAFE WORKING LOAD 22,000 lbs.
LOCATION Main Deck, AFT
Side Sampling Station A Frame
QUANTITY 1
TYPE Moveable
CLEARANCE OVER THE SIDE 17 ft.
HORIZONTAL CLEARNANCE 9.3 ft.
SAFE WORKING LOAD 2979 lbs.
LOCATION O1 Deck, Starboard, Amidships

Medical Facilities

One medical treatment room containing one berth for patients. Emergency and first-aid equipment aboard, administered by designated vessel personnel.

You are here: https://www.omao.noaa.gov/learn/marine-operations/ships/bell-m-shimada/specifications
Reviewed: February 8, 2021. Contact us with page issues.

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