Abstract
THE launching of the Admiralty non-magnetic ship, the R.R.S. Research, will take place at 6 p.m. on April 4 at the Noss Works, Dartmouth, of the builders Messrs. Philip and Son, Limited. The launching ceremony will bo performed by Mrs. Spencer Jones, wife of the Astronomer Royal. The day and time of the launching have been chosen to coincide with the highest spring tides, as investigations proved that the Research, which is a 770-ton ship, would need all the water possible. The construction of a special vessel such as this, which is to be so far as possible non-magnetic, raises many problems. The question of the best substitutes for iron or steel in various components and fittings has required a good deal of investigation and experiment. The builders have shown a great interest in the work and have co-operated with the Admiralty to obtain the most satisfactory results. Lieut.-Commander D. H. Fryer, who has been appointed captain of the Research, was given special leave by the Admiralty to make a voyage to Australia in one of the grain ships in order to gain experience of sailing ships. He has recently completed the rigging of a scale water-line model of the Research, which will be on view at the reception to be given by Messrs. Philip and Son after the launching.
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Launch of the R.R.S. Research. Nature 143, 511 (1939). https://doi.org/10.1038/143511b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/143511b0