Built during WWII as a troop carrier in the South Pacific, Bear was chartered by WHOI in 1951 and purchased in 1952. The vessel made 192 cruises in the western North Atlantic, venturing as far east as Bermuda. Bear made acoustic, bathymetric and seismic measurements, and participated in fish observations.
The vessel was sold in 1963 to a New Bedford fisherman and refitted as a scalloper.
Length:
103'
Beam:
21'
Displacement:
200 - 300 tons
Draft:
10'
Range:
2500 mi
Science Complement:
10
Crew Complement:
14
Dates of Afflliation with WHOI:
1951/1963
Built:
1942
Builder:
Herreshoff, Bristol, RI