If you’ re interested in learning about how science is done at sea, the Sailing School Vessel (SSV) Robert C. Seamans is offering free tours of their vessel to the public this Saturday, September 17th from 9:00-11:00 am and 12:00 – 3:00 pm.
The crew invites everyone, both young and old, to tour their ship, one of the Sea Education Association’s sailboats.
The Robert C. Seamans is a 134-foot steel brigantine and is the most sophisticated oceanographic research/sailing school vessel ever built in the United States.
The crew regularly tailors their tours to the interests of the audience; for example they always offer hands-on tours for the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) Marine Science Program, where students are able to see all kinds of interesting new information from their most recent cruises, and gain firsthand experience with the scientific equipment used to collect that information.
From water quality to marine seafloor exploration to using a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV, the marine equivalent of a drone), the SSV Robert C. Seamans has it all!
Sea Education Association (SEA) has been offering free tours to the community each year they are in port in Pago Pago.
SEA began visiting American Samoa in 2014 when they added a new cruise track through Kitibati, where they visit the Phoenix Islands Protected Area.
At 157,626 square miles in size, the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) is one the largest marine protected areas in the world.
PIPA is one of Earth’s last intact oceanic coral archipelago ecosystems due to its remoteness and lack of a permanent human presence, and was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2010.
Contact Sea Grant Extension Agent Kelley Anderson Tagarino at 258-2967 for more information about SEA and the Robert C. Seamans.
