Charles W. Morgan

This week's ship is the only surviving example of an 1800th century wooden whaling ship, the Charles W. Morgan.



Stats from the ship's webpage:

Launched: 1861
Retired: 1921 as a museum ship
Length: 113 ft
Beam: 27 ft 6 in
Draught: 17 ft 6 in
Displacement: 314 tons
Compliment: variable
Rig: Double topsail bark
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PFS Polarstern

This week's ship is the fascinating German Icebreaker, the PFS Polarstern



Stats from the ship's official website:

Launched: 1 December, 1982
Commissioned: 9 December, 1982
Length: 387 ft
Beam: 82 ft
Draught: 36 ft 9 in
Displacement: 17,300 tons
Compliment: maximum of 44 scientists and crew
Speed: 16 kts
Power Plant: 20,000 hp on 4 main diesel engines

The PFS Polarstern (en: Pole Star) is an icebreaker oceanographic research vessel managed by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Germany. Constructed in 1982, she possesses a double bottom, and the capacity to break through 5 feet of ice under way, and deeper ice by ramming. The design had the requirement to function both as a research and supply vessel in polar regions of the Northern and Southern hemisphere. "This resulted in the necessity for an icebreaker, on the one hand and a sturdy ocean going vessel capable of traversing long distances on the other. RV Polarstern was completely overhauled between 1998 and 2001 (midlife conversion) in order to meet the most advanced technical standards and prolong the total service life by another 10 to 15 years" (official website).
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