R/V Woldstad – Support Vessels of Alaska
Support Vessels of Alaska, Inc. (SVA) offers Alaskan based marine survey, research, housing and private charters for hire. We’re a veteran owned small business based out of Homer that operates throughout the Alaskan coastline.
The R/V Woldstad is a 121’ steel vessel built originally for the State of Alaska to patrol the icy waters of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. It is ice reinforced and has an economical cruising speed of 10 knots. The vessel is well configured for a wide variety of research, survey, and housing projects.
The Woldstad is a deep draft (12’) heavy weather vessel with complete twin drive systems (engines, shafts, and CPP propellers). It has both a stern deck area with a 6-ton deck crane as well as a very large forward deck area with a 12-ton deck crane, davit, hydraulic multi-beam pole, plenty of below deck dry storage, and a deck load capacity of up to 20 tons.
In 2017 the Woldstad went through a major overhaul. Both main engines were replaced, the sleeping quarters were reconfigured to accommodate more passengers in more rooms, and the salon area enlarged to seat large groups.
The Woldstad is a solid workhorse with an endurance of over 35 days continuous cruising (8500 miles) or over 60 days of 24/7 surveying. A 10-ton stern a-frame meeting the latest ABS standards has been engineered for the projects requiring an a-frame. Being equipped with a bow thruster and twin drive systems makes the Woldstad very maneuverable and having the forward deck area allows for easy and very accurate deployment and retrieval of scientific/research gear. Having Controllable Pitch Propellers (CPP) provides for smooth towing speeds without having to shift in and out of gear.
The Research Vessel Woldstad is a very qualified vessel able to support many types of operations such as oil exploration, mining exploration, environmental clean-up, oceanographic research, site hazard surveys, and many other maritime operations.