The Oscar Dyson
The Oscar Dyson is the first of four identical NOAA ships to be used for a wide variety of fisheries and oceanographic research. Named for the Alaskan fisherman Oscar Dyson, the ship's homeport will be his hometown of Kodiak, Alaska.
The primary objective of the Dyson is to survey and research populations of Alaskan Pollock in the Bering Sea and through the Gulf of Alaska. Other uses will include weather observation, habitat assessment, oceanographic research, and studies of bird and mammal populations. The Dyson is currently the most acoustically quiet ship in the world, with engine noise levels below the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) standard for research vessel underwater noise. Although there are a handful of acoustically quiet ships internationally, this is the first American ship to meet the ICES noise specifications. The Oscar Dyson is substantially quieter than the Miller Freeman, the other NOAA vessel used for acoustic surveying. This acoustic quieting technology is expected to help scientists monitor fish populations more accurately without affecting fish behavior.
