OCEAN STARR IS A VERY SOLID, ECONOMICAL STEEL SHIP THAT IS CERTIFIED FOR CHARTERS UP TO 18 PASSENGERS. Recent 5 year ABS/SOLAS surveys show her to have a clean Bill of Health. She is currently configured for science with ample options for lots of alternative cruising styles. OCEAN STARR can be configured to be a fabulous “under the radar” world cruising platform for family, friends and company. 

• Ready for adventuring
• Fresh ABS 5 year survey
• SOLAS certified for 18+ crew
• Ready to be a serious mother ship
• Ready to be a serious floating surf shack
• Ready to be a serious long range globe trotter
• Ready to make a difference doing serious science

Ocean Starr, ex David Starr Jordan, has been a work horse for NOAA and science. So far she has spent an estimated 8,949 days at sea and sailed more than 1.3 million miles. Researchers aboard the vessel measured and weighed 1,000 sea turtles, took 27,000 photographs using remotely operated vehicles (ROVS), and conducted 27,000 oceanographic sampling casts, 22,000 plankton tows and 4,700 fish trawls. The ship has participated in expeditions extending from ALASKA to Peru and the Galapagos Islands. This past year, Ocean Starr was chartered to a private non-profit studying the Pacific gyre (floating plastic), base-lining and recording this danger to our oceans. 

OCEAN STARR should be seriously considered by the hard core adventurists.

• Cruising Speed: 10 knots
• Range: 7,500 nmi
• Power: 1,068 SHP
• Fuel Capacity: 50,000 gals.
• Fuel Type: #2 diesel
• Fuel Consumption: 50 gal./hr.
• Endurance: 30 days
• Endurance Constraint: Stability

Propulsion Plant:

• Type: Geared Diesel
• Main Engines
• Quantity: 2
• Type: Diesel
• Manufacturer: White-Superior
• Rated Power (each): 534 HP
• Propellers
• Quantity: 2
• Size: 5.7 ft. diameter
• Blades: 3, controllable pitch
• Manufacturer: Bird Johnson
• Bow Thruster
• Quantity: 1
• Type: Tunnel Thruster
• Manufacturer: Hundested
• Drive: Electric Motor
• Rated Power: 200 HP

• Storage Capacity: 8,000 gal.
• Normal Consumption: 1,000 gal./day
• Evaporator
• Quantity: 2
• Type: Jacket water heat generated
• Manufacturer: Riley-Beard Inc.
• Rated Capacity (each): 1,000 gal./day

• Sewage Waste Control
• Type: Electromechancial
• Manufacturer: Ominpure
• Holding Capacity: 320 gal.
• Oily Waste Control
• Type: Oily Water Separator
• Manufacturer: World Water System
• Holding Capacity: 30 days

• Ship Service Generators
• Quantity: 2
• Type: Diesel
• Manufacturer: General Motors/Delco
• Rated Power (each): 200 kW
• Output Voltage: 450 VAC, 60 Hz, 3Ø
• Emergency Generator
• Quantity: 1
• Manufacturer: General Motors/Delco
• Rated Power: 30 kW
• Output Voltage: 450 VAC, 60 Hz, 3Ø
• Electrical Service
• Ship Service
• 450 VAC, 60 Hz, 3Ø
• 220 VAC, 60 Hz, 1Ø
• 120 VAC, 60 Hz, 1Ø
• Uninterruptable Power for Computer and Scientific Equipment
• 120 VAC, 60 Hz, 1Ø

High Frequency SSB (SEA 330):

SEA Inc. 300-watt high frequency transceiver. The transceiver covers a frequency range from 1.6 to 29.9 MHz and has a frequency memory containing all normally assigned ITU and TELEX channels plus some user programmable channels. The system is set up with one operating station fixed in the Radio/Chart room and one voice capable station that is adjustable within cabling and distance requirements, currently set-up in the computer room.

Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS):

Full suite of Sperry GMDSS communications equipment. The Sperry high frequency transceiver is a 250-watt output unit capable of operation on all ITU standard channels and digitally selective calling of another GMDSS equipped unit. The HF transceiver is located on the bridge. The Sperry VHF-DSC transceivers, of which the ship carries two, is a 25-watt output digital selective call equipped marine channel transceiver. Both VHF-DSC transceivers are located on the bridge. The Sperry GMDSS Standard C Inmarsat is capable of sending and receiving store and forward telex messages. The Standard C is located in the Radio room.

Also carried on board are several Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB) and Search and Rescue Radar Transponders (SART). VHF radios with eight channels pre programmed with a selection of marine band and NOAA frequencies. These radios are located on the bridge (2 fixed units) and RHIB (1 fixed unit per RHIB). The ship also carries a selection of hand held VHF radios available for operational use. Motorola cellular telephone connected to the ship's telephone system. Range of the system varies with the location of the land based cellular system.

Satellite Systems:

For Scientific projects, the Chief Scientist or designated representative will have access to ship's telecommunications systems on a cost-reimbursable basis. Whenever possible, it is requested that direct payment (e.g. by credit card) be used as opposed to after-the-fact reimbursement. The ship's communications systems include: INMARSAT-B For high speed data transmission, including :

FTP, and high quality voice telephone communications:

INMARSAT STANDARD C For low speed store and forward telex messages, approximately 500 baud message transfer. INMARSAT MINI-M For voice telephone communications and 2400 baud data transfer. Cost is about $3 per minute to the US and may be charged to credit card, collect, or otherwise reimbursed. Mini-M coverage is by spot beam and may not be available in all the areas the ship may be working in.

IRIDIUM: The ship carries a handheld Iridium phone.

Gyro compass:
 Sperry Mark 37 MOD-D gyro. The gyro has a syncro to digital converter installed and the NEMA heading messages are available for scientific use. Output from the gyro is recorded by the shipboard data acquisition system (SCS). The Mark 37 gyro relies on manual latitude and speed corrections. The ship also has a Yokogawa MKM022 gyro compass.

GPS:

Two GPS receivers, Trimble Echo XL and Northstar 952X. Data outputs from the GPS receivers are available for scientific use and are continually recorded by SCS. A GPS networked time code receiver is presently time synching the shipboard data acquisition system and the computer dynamic positioning system. Software is available for time synching the networked PC-based scientific computers.

Navigation Nobeltec's Visual Navigation Suite is the navigation software package used on the STARR. The navigation program is continually run on the bridge while underway and has the ability to receive GPS input from DGPS.

Traditional paper charts are used as well.

Radar:

Two Raytheon navigational radars on the bridge. One radar is an ARPA X-band (3 cm) M34 and the other is an S-band (10 cm) Pathfinder.  Both radars are used for collision avoidance and navigation.

Doppler speed log:

A Raytheon model DSN-450 Doppler sonar provides an indication of ship's speed, distance traveled and, at continental shelf depths, an indication of water depth. At deep ocean depths the speed is referenced to the water mass under the ship, water depth is inoperable. The speed output is also recorded on SCS and is available for scientific use.

NAVTEX Receiver for receiving and printing the international automated medium frequency (518 KHz) direct-printing service which provides navigational and meteorological warnings and forecasts, as well as urgent marine safety information to ships. Receiver is located on the bridge.

Weather fax:

Medium frequency/high frequency, amplified antenna facsimile receiver system for the reception of broadcast weather facsimile pictures and charts. The weather fax is located in the Bridge.

Built in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., in 1964 and commissioned in 1966, the vessel was designed specifically to conduct research in tropical and temperate waters. The ship’s operational area included the U.S. West Coast and eastern Tropical Pacific, where researchers investigated seasonal variations in ocean temperature, currents and salinity and assessed the status of marine life.

The San Diego, Calif.-based ship collected hydrographic and biological data on the California Current System during California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) research cruises. During this project, researchers studied the marine environment off the coast of California, the management of its living resources, and monitored the indicators of El Niño and climate change with quarterly cruises off southern and central California.

NOAA Ship David Starr Jordan also played an important role in yellow fin tuna fishery research that led to a major reduction in dolphin mortalities.

Data collected on the Jordan were critical in supporting the “dolphin-safe” tuna campaign and labeling requirements.

“The David Starr Jordan was a workhorse for more than 40 years, supporting the management of fish, marine mammals and sea turtles,” said Steve Murawski, Ph.D., NOAA’s chief scientist for fisheries. “We celebrate the crew, scientists and vessel as we look to the future.”

NOAA Ship David Starr Jordan was a floating laboratory equipped with temperature-controlled aquaria and live specimen wells, walk-in freezer, dark room, data processing laboratory, and an underwater observation chamber in the bow and port side for studying fish behavior at sea. The ship was also equipped with a helicopter pad to support aerial observations and photo survey missions. The ship’s twin 500-horsepower diesel engines give the ship a 12-knot cruising speed.

The ship is named after David Starr Jordan (1851-1931), one of the best known naturalists and educators of his time. He wrote more than 50 books and published over 600 scientific papers on topics ranging from ichthyology (the branch of zoology dealing with fish) to advancing world peace. In 1879, Jordan became president of Indiana University and was selected in 1891 as the first president of Stanford University. Jordan was a member of the California State Fish Commission, and his investigations of the exploitation of the salmon and fur seal populations helped save these species.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources.