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August
12, 2002
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an
online newsletter for and by NOAA employees
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The Secret Horsepower of NOAA's Ark Photo by ENS Amanda Francisco  Paddling to victory, Chief Marine Engineer George Chadwick (left) and Lt. Louis Novak. The NOAA Ship FERREL is specially equipped for oceanographic studies of coastal and inshore waters. She typically works a six-day week, has a nine-day endurance, a range of 1,200 nautical miles, and a cruising speed of ten knots. But talk to crew members Lt. Louis Novak and Chief Marine Engineer George Chadwick these days and they'll tell you about NOAA's Ark. NOAA's Ark? That's the name of the "vessel" they built in four hours and paddled to a second-place win in Norfolk, Virginia's recent "Quick and Dirty Boat Building Competition." Sponsored mainly by the American Society of Naval Engineers, the competition called for constructing a boat in four hours, with just three 6x8 sheets of panel board, two 2x2x8 pine staves, two 1x2x8 pine staves, 12 tubes of marine caulk, quick-tie wraps, an electric drill and a circular saw. Time wasn't as tight to decorate the craft. NOAA's crew used donated chocolate brown and canary yellow paint and painted on "NOAA's Ark." One day later, after entering at the last minute, the two coxswains paddled 200 yards to second-place victory, outpacing six other teams that had prepared for weeks. They donated their prize money to Mercy Ships, a charity. Asked the secret of their success, George Chadwick had a quick response. "More horsepower!" |
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