Every day is a good day to learn more about UC San Diego, but we've chosen a particular one to spread knowledge with our feature called "Triton Tuesday." Each Tuesday, get the inside scoop with fun facts about Triton athletics, the UC San Diego campus and community, and our beautiful home of San Diego, California, in a Did You Know? format.
UC San Diego's origins begin at the turn of the 20th century with the creation of what is now Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1903.Â
Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego is one of the most important centers for global earth science research and education in the world. Scripps scientists work to understand and protect the planet by investigating our oceans, Earth, and atmosphere to find solutions to our greatest environmental challenges. Scripps leads research in climate change impacts and adaptation, resilience to hazards, conservation and biodiversity, oceans and human health, national security, and innovative technology to observe the planet.
Scripps Institution of Oceanography operates four research vessels and an innovative Floating Instrument Platform (FLIP), enabling faculty, students and researchers to address our planet's most pressing environmental challenges within a cutting-edge mobile laboratory. In 2019, the oceanographic research vessel Bob and Betty Beyster became the newest addition to the Scripps Fleet.
R/V Sally Ride Specifications
Built in 2016, R/V Sally Ride (AGOR 28) is an Ocean Class Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research (AGOR) vessel designed to perform multidisciplinary oceanographic research worldwide.
Owned by the U.S. Navy, R/V Sally Ride is operated by Scripps Institution of Oceanography under a charter agreement with the Office of Naval Research. The National Science Foundation provides additional substantial support for scientific equipment and instrumentation. Part of America's Academic Research Fleet, Sally Ride is managed by Scripps as a shared-use research facility within the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS), serving scientists and students from across the United States.
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R/V Roger Revelle Specifications
R/V Roger Revelle is a highly capable Global Class research vessel that operates worldwide. Operated by Scripps Institution of Oceanography as a shared-use facility within the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS), Roger Revelle is available to all scientists supported by any US federal, state, and other agencies. It was delivered to Scripps in 1996.
Roger Revelle hosts the Hydrographic Doppler Sonar System (HDSS), a one-of-a-kind hull-mounted long-range dual-frequency (50-140 kHz) Doppler sonar that measures current shear at much higher resolution than commercially-available Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs). Revelle offers outstanding navigation and station-keeping characteristics, with a modern dynamic positioning system coupled to a flexible and powerful propulsion system.Â
R/V Roger Gordon Sproul Specifications
R/V Robert Gordon Sproul was built in 1981 as a Gulf Coast work boat, and originally worked on a charter basis conducting high-resolution geophysical surveys. Scripps acquired the vessel in 1984 and converted it for scientific use. The vessel is owned by the Regents of the University of California. Today R/V Roger Gordon Sproul is a regional general-purpose research vessel, serving research and education missions offshore California and the U.S. West Coast.
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R/V Bob and Betty Beyster SpecificationsÂ
The Research Vessel Bob and Betty Beyster is a purpose-built coastal research vessel designed for efficient operations offshore Southern California and throughout the Channel Islands. Built in 2019, Bob and Betty Beyster is a shared-use research facility that is available for use by scientists, engineers, students and educators supported by federal, state, local and non-governmental agencies.Â
Bob and Betty Beyster features a dynamic positioning system (DPS) that integrates GPS navigation data with propulsion controls to automatically maintain heading and position, even in strong currents and windy conditions. This capability, previously available only on much larger oceanographic research ships, allows Bob and Betty Beyster to conduct scientific operations requiring precise stationkeeping never before possible on a coastal research boat. This, in conjunction with the boat's capable navigation and propulsion systems, enables precise vessel handling required for CTD casts, open-ocean instrument mooring placement, remotely-operated vehicle deployments, and other scientific operations that require reliable stationkeeping.
FLIP
FLIP, the FLoating Instrument Platform, is not a ship, but a 355-foot-long research platform that can be deployed for oceanographic research. Designed by scientists at Scripps's Marine Physical Laboratory, FLIP is operated by Scripps Oceanography for the U.S. Navy.
Normally docked with Scripps's fleet in San Diego Bay, FLIP can be towed to out to sea in its horizontal position and then "flipped" 90 degrees so that 300 feet of its length are under water. This turns FLIP into a "spar buoy," a tall, thin, weighty structure designed to be uniquely stable and resistant to wave motion.
FLIP was built in 1962 to help study long-range sound propagation for submarine warfare, but the platform has since supported research in geophysics, meteorology, physical oceanography, and other scientific fields. Its unique appearance and method of deployment have also made it a worldwide curiosity and the subject of many documentaries.
Emeritus Vessels
Scripps Institution of Oceanography vessels no longer in use include R/V Melville (45 years of service, retired in 2014) and R/V New Horizon (36 years of service, retired in 2014).
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PRIOR TRITON TUESDAYS
FALL 2020 SERIES
• 1992 Dream Team Finds a Home at Main Gym (Sept. 1)
• UC San Diego Home to Award-Winning Faculty (Sept. 8)
• UC San Diego Athletics Hall of Fame (Sept. 15)
• Exploring Dr. Seuss in San Diego (Sept. 22)
• La Jolla's Wonderful Weather (Sept. 29)
• Academic Excellence on Display by the Tritons (Oct. 6)
• Getting to Know Our Unique College System (Oct. 13)a
• La Jolla's Local Beaches (Oct. 20)
• Renowned Surf in San Diego (Oct. 27)
• University Rankings Recap (Nov. 3)
• Notable Triton Alumni (Nov. 10)
• Sustainability at UC San Diego (Nov. 17)
• UC San Diego's Student Body (Nov. 24)
• The Stuart Collection at UC San Diego (Dec. 1)
• UC San Diego's 30 National Championships (Dec. 8)
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About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.
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