Field Operations

Field Operations provides a broad range of skilled, technical services to the scientific community in addition to maintaining and operating the Institute's fleet of vessels. The electronics technicians, machinists, welders, fabricators, and mechanics on the staff can design, fabricate, and repair complex electronic and mechanical instruments and tools. They can also assist in designing field programs, operating vessels, and conducting field work, either locally or away. The Institute's research fleet is comprised of more than 30 trailerable boats and several larger vessels manned with dedicated crews.

• The 65-foot R/V Bay Eagle is outfitted with a wet lab containing a flow-through seawater system, and a dry lab housing the electronics. It has two boom winches and redundant hydraulic systems to accommodate a variety of scientific needs and data collections. The R/V Bay Eagle also utilizes interchangeable stern decks, which increases its versatility when changing from trawling, to dredging, long lining, or other applications.
• The 29-foot R/V Fish Hawk was especially designed and equipped to perform trawl surveys. A sizeable trailerable fleet supports estuarine and tributary research. Electronic systems can be transferred to these smaller boats, enabling precise scientific surveys to be conducted on board.
• In 2007, the 74 foot R/V Pelican was converted into a research vessel from a navy surplus landing craft. With a 17’x 24’ working deck, she utilizes a 18,000 lbs lifting capacity crane and 4 hydraulic winches. The R/V Pelican has accommodations for 10 overnight.
• The diving facility includes a diver training room and classrooms to support the 20-member VIMS dive team. The VIMS diving program is an organizational member of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences.

View a movie of the R/V Bay Eagle underway (requires QuickTime or similar movie viewer, 1Mb file may take a few minutes to load).