New coastal research vessel dubbed Nanuq

April 26, 2019

Photo courtesy of Doug Baird. Workers craft the UAF research vessel Nanuq in Port Angeles, Washington, in 2019.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences has selected "Nanuq" as the name of a new 40-foot coastal research vessel to operate out of Seward.

The Nanuq, which gets its name from the Inupiat word for polar bear, will replace the research vessel Little Dipper.

The college received over 100 name suggestions from across UAF. Martha Westphal, a program manager at the UAF Community and Technical College, submitted the winning name.

The Nanuq will be commissioned and available for use in early June 2019.