After the Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union in late December 1991, the requirement for SURTASS collection declined. The Navy took Relentless out of service on 17 March 1993 and transferred her to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the same day. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 20 May 1993.[1][2]
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration service
Gordon Gunter has 1,229.5 square feet (sq. ft.) (114.2 square meters) (m2) of mission-dedicated laboratory spaces, including a 360-sq.-ft. (33.4-m2) dry laboratory, a 429-sq.-ft. (39.9-m2) wet laboratory, and a 135-sq.-ft. (12.5-m2) wet laboratory. On deck, two hydraulic trawl winches each have a capacity of 2,200 meters (7,200 feet) of 5⁄8-inch (16 mm) or 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) of 3⁄4-inch (19 mm) wire, an electric CTD winch with a capacity of 10,000 meters (33,000 feet) of .322" (8.2-mm) electromechanical cable, and an electric winch with a capacity of 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) of 0.322 in (8.2 mm) electromechanical cable. [5] The ship has two 45-foot (14-meter) telescoping booms – one with a lifting capacity of 3,500 pounds (1,588 kg) at an extension of 16.3 feet (5.0 meters) and the other with a lifting capacity of 18,000 pounds (8,200 kg) – as well as a movable A-frame with a lifting capacity of 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg), and a movable J-frame with a maximum lifting capacity of 3,500 pounds (1,600 kg).[5]
Gordon Gunter has an ice-strengthened steel hull. She normally carries one 18-foot (5.5-meter) rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) with a 90-horsepower (67-kilowatt) motor and a maximum capacity of four persons.[5]
In addition to her crew of 20, Gordon Gunter can accommodate up to 15 scientists.[5]
Service history
From her home port at Pascagoula, Mississippi, Gordon Gunter operates throughout the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, and Caribbean Sea. A multi-use platform, she primarily serves NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service Pascagoula Laboratory in Pascagoula, Mississippi. She conducts scientific surveys of the health and abundance of adult and larval commercial and recreational fish, the health and distribution of marine mammals, oceanographic studies, and habitat investigations.[4][5]
Gordon Gunter's first international project, the Windwards Humpback Cruise, took place in the Caribbean Sea. The primary objective of the cruise was to obtain scientific information on humpback whales that was used in a comprehensive assessment by the International Whaling Commission in June 2001, and to support U.S. management requirements for these endangered whales under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. Scientists aboard Gordon Gunter used both visual and acoustic techniques to locate humpback whales and other marine mammal species and located many whales by tracking their songs with sonarbuoys.[4]
Gordon Gunter has demonstrated mission flexibility through her ability to undergo quick reconfiguration. On one occasion, her after working deck was reconfigured to deploy a weather buoy about 160 miles (255 km) off the Louisiana coast. This mission helped fill a critical data gap in weather information that commercial fishermen, the petroleum industry, and recreational boaters rely upon heavily.[4]
