during 30th Anniversary open house

KINGSTON, R.I. — September 28, 2006 — The crew of the University of Rhode Island’s research vessel Endeavor will offer free public tours of the ship on Saturday, Nov. 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the dock of URI’s Narragansett Bay Campus.

This rare public event is being held in celebration of the R/V Endeavor’s 30-year anniversary. The public is also welcome to view exhibits, a short video about the Endeavor, and visit the nearby Coastal Institute Bookstore.

Owned by the National Science Foundation and operated by URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography, the R/V Endeavor was delivered to URI’s Narragansett Bay Campus in 1976. Built in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., the ship underwent a major mid-life retrofit in 1993 and continues to serve as a valuable member of the U.S. academic research vessel fleet.

For the last 30 years scientists from Rhode Island, the greater U.S. and abroad have conducted government-sponsored research and trained graduate students aboard Endeavor on more than 400 scientific cruises. Scientific expeditions have been conducted in nearby Rhode Island waters and in distant locations such as near the Easter Islands and Galapagos Islands in the South Pacific Ocean, and in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Endeavor spends an average of 240 days each year at sea and serves as Rhode Island’s ocean-going ambassador in domestic and international ports of call.

For questions or directions, call the Office of Marine Programs, 401-874-6211. More information about the Endeavor can be found at http://www.uri.edu/endeavor.