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[Title page appears: Future Research Vessel Project. CSIRO logo appears]
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[Music begins: Premiumbeat.com – Almost Back to Life, by Pete Morse.]
[Image appears: underwater, two fish swim, as the camera is pulled through the water and the ship's propeller and keel is revealed, then the stern of the ship, and the back deck.]
[Image appears: aerial image of the ship at sea, with the bow of the ship to the left.]
[Image appears: a close up aerial image of the ship, showing the name, Investigator.] [Image appears: aerial image of the ship, flying over the superstructure and the bow of the vessel, looking into the bridge.]
[Image appears: aerial image of the deck of the ship at the 02 Level, showing the main crane and the back of the bridge.]
[Image appears: image from inside the ship's Operations' Room, with six people sitting at computers that are on tables around the edge of the room. Image then turns and reveals the hallway behind the Operations Room. A door is opened, revealing another hallway. The hallway walls and floor are covered in navy and light blue striped protective plastic. The image is sped up to show the rest of the journey up the hallway, and out onto the main deck, where the image returns momentarily to normal speed. The image shows the back deck and then turns and reveals the starboard side of the main deck, then around the corner to the Sheltered Science Area. The image then continues up two flights of stairs. The workboat is then shown on the 02 Deck Level. The image then shows the starboard side of the ship, and then reveals the bow of the ship, with the image sped up and slowed down in sections.]
[Image appears: a camera has been tied to a long steel tube, which is part of the long sediment coring system. It is hanging slightly over the side of the main deck, along the railing of the ship. To the left of the steel tube, people are working on the main deck. The steel tube then moves away from the ship and is lowered into the water, where hundreds of bubbles are produced just under the surface.]
[Image appears: aerial image of the ship, showing the testing of the long sediment coring system. The long steel tube is now hanging vertically in with a part of the tube in the water and about two-thirds of it still above the waterline.]
[Image appears: aerial image of the monkey island, observation deck, communications domes and the main mast with the weather research radar on top.]
[Image appears: aerial image of the ship from the bow, with the sunlight reflecting on the ocean.]
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[Closer image appears: CSIRO logo. Text: Big ideas start here]
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With almost $20 million worth of scientific equipment, the 94m ship is capable of mapping the sea floor at any depth, collecting weather data 20km into the atmosphere, analysing fish species with sonar and revealing the composition of the sea bed 100m below the sea floor.
Executive Director of CSIRO’s Future Research Vessel Project, Ms Toni Moate said the ship’s scientific capabilities are extensive.
“We now have the exciting task of working with the marine science community to explore the different ways we can combine the data collected on board Investigator, to answer important research questions,” Ms Moate said.
Dr Brian Griffiths, from the Future Research Vessel Project Technical Team said over the next five months the wharf will be a hive of activity for the final fit out of scientific equipment on board the ship.
“It’s an exciting day for the teams that have worked so hard to deliver this ship to Australia, and for those who are waiting to literally get their hands on the ship here in Hobart,” Dr Griffiths said.
In 2009 the Australian Government committed $120 million for a new Marine National Facility research vessel. The project is an initiative of the Australian Government being conducted as part of the Super Science Initiative and financed from the Education Investment Fund.
Under direction of an independent Steering Committee, the Marine National Facility is owned and operated by CSIRO on behalf of the nation.
Investigator is a world leader in innovation, and was recognised by IHS Maritime 360, when it named Investigator as one of the top 13 ship building projects for 2013.
Follow the action on Twitter with #RVInvestigator.
