Date

If you have questions about the following announcement, please contact
Garrett Brass, g.brass [at] arctic.gov, Executive Director of the U.S. Arctic

Research Commission.

ANNOUNCEMENT

The President's Budget which was submitted to Congress on
Monday, February 7 did not include funds for the overhaul of the Sturgeon
Class submarine L. MENDEL RIVERS and the Navy will now issue orders for her
decommissioning.

This means that the end of the annual SCICEX dedicated cruises is here.
The use of submarines in the Arctic for science, as currently planned, will
be on the "cruises of opportunity" basis described in the Report of the
SCICEX 2000 Workshop (see
http://psc.apl.washington.edu/scicex/scicex2000.html)

Although the Navy was willing and the Arctic Research Commission
tried hard to make this happen, the short time scale, the high price tag
and the lack of sufficient support from the oceanographic community made it
impossible in the end.

Garrett Brass
Executive Director
U.S. Arctic Research Commission
g.brass [at] arctic.gov