Abstract
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) owns and operates the SWATH oceanographic research vessel RV Western Flyer. This vessel is of aluminum construction and was designed and built (as reported in Ref 1) to handle MBARI's remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Tiburon in the Eastern Pacific. Western Flyer was delivered in 1996 and shortly thereafter experienced significant cracking when exposed to relatively moderate seas. This paper outlines the steps that were taken to assess the causes of the cracks and the process used to determine the necessary modifications. The vessel was redelivered in the summer of 1999 and has returned to scientific missions.
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