RV Coastal Guardian
{{Short description|English dive support vessel}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2017}}
| {{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image | Ship image = Coastal Guardian.jpg | Ship caption = Coastal Guardian in Fleetwood, 2008. }} {{Infobox ship career | Hide header = | Ship name = Coastal Guardian | Ship owner = Environment Agency National Marine Service | Ship operator = Environment Agency | Ship registry = {{flagicon|United Kingdom|civil}} Liverpool, United Kingdom | Operation Areas = UK Home Waters, West Coast, Solway Firth – North Wales | Ship ordered = | Ship builder = Abels Shipbuilders, Bristol, England (1992) | Ship original cost = | Ship yard number = 746 | Ship way number = | Ship laid down = | Ship launched = 1992 | Ship completed = | Ship christened = | Ship acquired = | Ship maiden voyage = | Ship in service = | Ship out of service = | Ship identification = {{MMSI Number|235087897}} | Ship fate = | Ship status = In service | Ship notes = Specialises in Environmental Monitoring }} {{Infobox ship characteristics | Hide header = | Header caption = | Ship class = DTp VIII Lloyds | Ship tonnage = 46.6 gt | Ship displacement = | Ship length = 16.45 m | Ship beam = 5.50 m | Ship height = | Ship draught = 1.80 m | Ship depth = | Ship decks = | Ship deck clearance = | Ship ramps = | Ship ice class = | Ship sail plan = | Ship power = 2 × 132kW | Ship propulsion = 2 × Ford Sabre 180c turbocharged | Ship speed = {{convert|10|kn}} | Ship capacity = | Ship crew = 1 Officer, 1 crew member, 6 scientists. | Ship notes = }} |
RV Coastal Guardian is a dive support vessel which is owned and operated by Shearwater Marine Services of Dunoon. Her work takes her around the UK, most notably the West Coast.
History
In the late 1980s, Abels Shipbuilders began to construct a series of survey vessels for the Environment Agency. Vigilance was the first of four similar vessels and delivered by David Abels for work in the Bristol Channel in 1990. The follow on ships constructed were the Sea Vigil based on the South Coast, Coastal Guardian for the River Mersey and Water Guardian, based on the North East Coast, but spent some time in the Bristol Channel while the University of Plymouth chartered the Vigilance. Ranging from 42 to 71 tonnes, and {{convert|15.8|to|16.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} in length, they are {{convert|10|kn|adj=on}} ships operated by the Agency's National Marine Service. Their complement includes scientists and each are fitted for survey activities such as taking seabed samples, trawling and water sampling as methods to monitor the area's coastline, including use of Meteorological sea surface temperature equipment on a tow fish when required. Vigilance was purchased by Aspect Surveys.{{cite web|title=Aspect Land & Hydrographic Surveys|url=http://www.aspectsurveys.com/news.htm|website=www.aspectsurveys.com}} As of September 2013 Coastal Guardian is based in Weymouth under new ownership working commercially as a survey/diving vessel primarily in support of The Shipwreck Project. Water Guardian is now owned by MPM North West in Maryport Cumbria, renamed Susan H and refitted in April 2014 the vessel is available for survey and dive hire.
Coastal Guardian is now owned and operated by Shearwater Marine Services in Dunoon, mainly used as diving support vessel
File:Bristol Shipyards - Abels.png and Hilhouse Albion Yard.]]
References
{{Reflist}}
- https://web.archive.org/web/20110928194500/http://www.marine.gov.uk/coastal_guardian.htm
- http://marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?mmsi=235087897
- http://www.rvinfobase.eurocean.org/spec/vessel1.jsp{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
- http://www.theshipwreckproject.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coastal Guardian}}