RV Gilbert R. Mason Shipbuilding

A Vessel Taking Shape

The camera looks across the bow of the Gilbert R. Mason, where the ship's name is freshly welded onto weathered steel plating. Scaffolding, gangways and the SuperMod sections of a sister vessel share the fabrication hall, giving a rare behind-the-scenes look at how a modern research ship is assembled piece by piece.

Part of the Regional Class Research Vessel Program

The Gilbert R. Mason is the third of three Regional Class Research Vessels (RCRVs) built for the National Science Foundation under the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System. Its sister ship Taani already serves the West Coast, while a second vessel serves the East Coast Oceanographic Consortium.

Bollinger Shipyards, Houma, Louisiana

Construction takes place at Bollinger Shipyards in Houma, a hub of Gulf Coast shipbuilding along the bayous of southern Louisiana. The covered fabrication hall keeps the hull under close watch as welders and fitters bring the vessel's structure together.

A New Era in Oceanographic Research

Named for civil rights leader and physician Dr. Gilbert R. Mason Sr., the finished vessel will be operated by the Gulf-Caribbean Oceanographic Consortium, co-led by the University of Southern Mississippi and LUMCON, expanding the nation's capacity for coastal and open-ocean scientific research.