NOAA retires last wooden research ship

The sturdy wooden ship that ferried federal fisheries researchers through the icy waters of Southeast Alaska saw plenty of sights in her time.

A pair of sperm whales lying in wait off the ship's stern, ready to dive down and feast on a catch of fish about to be pulled to the deck.

Skulking scientists dressed all in white, hoping to be mistaken for ice floes by the harbor seals they were trying to study.

And the welcome received whenever she arrived with mail and supplies at a remote research station in bear country, south of Juneau and accessible only by sea or air.

"It was like a scene straight out of 'The African Queen,' said Cmdr. Mike Francisco, who skippered the John N. Cobb from 2000 to 2003. "Everyone on land would get real excited. They'd be running around, dogs would be barking."

After 58 years of worthy service on the seas, the Cobb, the only wooden ship left in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's fleet of some 20 research vessels, was retired Wednesday during a solemn ceremony at Sand Point that was rich in ritual.

The ship's bell was struck eight final times and its flags were lowered as a Navy bugler played taps. The ship's executive officer logged the decommissioning as the final entry into its log book.

Once scheduled to be decommissioned in the late 1980s, the Cobb was kept in service to help assess the damage to marine life caused by the catastrophic 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound.

The Cobb continued to sail well beyond its intended life span because "the crew and support staff loved that ship to death and kept it in good shape," said Capt. Michael Devany, the Cobb's commanding officer from 1996 to 1999.

Until Wednesday, the 93-foot Cobb was the senior member of NOAA's research fleet, dwarfed by the modern steel vessels NOAA operates today.

The Cobb did get updated over the years with electronic GPS systems and flat-screen monitors, said Lt. John Crofts, the ship's executive officer. "But if you look at its engine and some of its controls, you can see that this ship bridges the past to the present."

Research in Alaska

Named after the founder and first dean of the University of Washington's College of Fisheries, the Cobb sailed as far north as the Arctic's Chukchi Sea and as far south as the tip of the Baja Peninsula.

But much of its life was spent in Southeast Alaska, where for six months each year, from the beginning of spring to midautumn, it served the scientists working out of NOAA's Auke Bay Laboratories in Juneau.

Over the years, the Cobb served as the platform for all kinds of research, including killer-whale behavior and juvenile-salmon habitat. It helped find previously undiscovered albacore tuna stocks and once aided a submarine's search for deep-water coral.

Its relatively small size worked to the scientists' advantage, as the ship was able to maneuver through narrow channels and small inlets that larger NOAA research vessels never could access.

"We've definitely pushed her to the limits," said Joe Orsi, research fishery biologist at Auke Bay who has worked on the Cobb on and off since 1980.

For 17 years, the Cobb also welcomed about 20 developmentally disabled people on board for a December sail on Lake Union and Lake Washington, part of Seafair's annual Special People Holiday Cruise.

The Cobb now goes through the formal federal process for disposing of surplus assets, with NOAA officials saying they are hopeful that local marine-heritage groups, which have expressed interest in the Cobb, can usher the ship into a new era of educating the public.

Throughout its service, the Cobb performed faithfully, keeping quiet except for the creaks and groans typical of an old wooden boat.

But maintaining the Cobb had become a challenge in recent years.

Shipwrights had to rely on a rare stockpile of old-growth fir to patch the Cobb's decking. Parts for the eight-cylinder Fairbanks-Morse engine, which was original to the ship, had to be obtained from motors displayed in museums.

"On her own terms"

The old ship was to have been retired at the end of this October but staged a grand finale about five months shy of that while transiting the Warren Channel in Southeast Alaska.

It began with a single thud, heard by the crew of eight, including Sam Hardy, the chief engineer who was eating dinner in the galley. A series of thuds followed, increasing in volume and frequency. Then, vibrations were felt throughout the ship, and Lt. Chad Cary, the Cobb's commanding officer for the past two years, shut her down.

Hardy figured the boat had gotten tangled with derelict fishing gear or kelp, or maybe hit a deadhead. But after the Cobb was towed back to land and inspected, the diagnosis was fatal: a sheared main crankshaft.

"She went out on her own terms," said retired Lt. Cmd. Larry Mordock, who enjoys the thought that the hardworking ship didn't go quietly into retirement.

Though he never sailed on the ship, he grew quite attached while working at NOAA's base of operations at Lake Union. "It's just an absolutely gorgeous boat. She's tough and charming all at the same time."

Chief steward honored

The Cobb's mission will continue on other NOAA vessels or, more likely, private charters. The crew will transfer to other NOAA assignments, including William Lamoureux, chief steward for 19 years who was famous for soups he threw together on the ship's original single-gauge, oil-fired stove.

During Wednesday's ceremony, Cary surprised Lamoureux, the longest tenured crew member, with both the ship's American flag and its gold-plated bell that is inscribed with the ship's name.

"The last time I received one of these was in 1990 when I lost my 20-year-old son in the Persian Gulf war," said Lamoureux, the folded flag tucked inside his right arm. "And to get the ship's bell, what an honor. Not many people get an honor like that."

Stuart Eskenazi: 206-464-2293 or seskenazi@seattletimes.com