Nathaniel B. Palmer (icebreaker)
The Nathaniel B. Palmer is an ice-capable research ship owned by Offshore Service Vessels LLC, operated by Edison Chouest Offshore, Inc. and chartered by the United States National Science Foundation. The Nathaniel B. Palmer is tasked with extended scientific missions in the Antarctic. The Nathaniel B. Palmer was purpose-built for and delivered to the NSF by Edison Chouest Offshore's North American Shipbuilding facility in 1992. The Nathaniel B. Palmer carries a helicopter, accommodates up to 37 scientists, has a crew of 22 and is capable of missions lasting up to 75 days. The vessel is named after merchant mariner and ship builder Nathaniel Brown Palmer, credited by some historians with the discovery of Antarctica.
In February 2020, researchers aboard the vessel with the international Thwaites Glacier Offshore Research project discovered Sif Island, located in Pine Island Bay of the Amundsen Sea, in Antarctica.Gallery
