The ship was built in Turkey as the MV Chekov and originally used by Russian operators to carry timber.[5]
Sealift Incorporated bought the ship specifically for the Ascension Island liner service.[5] The first American crew embarked November 25, 1998 and the ship started its maiden voyage under the U.S. flag on December 2, 1998.[5] Departing from Port Canaveral, Florida, the voyage took 15 days at an average speed of 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph) and covered 4,426 nautical miles.[5] The voyage ended when the ship dropped anchor in Clarence Bay, Ascension on December 17, 1998.[5] The original contract was for a period of three years.[5]
On December 7, 1999, the Ascension rendered assistance to the French sailboatSeneca.[7] The sailboat was en route to Guadeloupe from France and had been becalmed for three days.[7] In addition to providing 300 liters of fuel, the Ascension topped off the sailboat's water tank and provided cigarettes and soft drinks.[7]
The ship travels a dedicated liner route between Cape Canaveral, Florida and Ascension Island so as to arrive at the island at 60-day intervals.[5] Ascension Island lies in the South Atlantic Ocean, east from Brazil and around 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from the coast of Africa. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, the main island of which is 800 miles (1,300 km) to the south east. The Island is named after the day of its recorded discovery, Ascension Day.
In addition to carrying cargo, the crew of the Ascension has assisted in green sea turtle research, delivering tagged animals about 200 miles (320 km) off the coast.[10][11] Ascension is the most notable nesting ground for Chelonia mydas in the Southern Atlantic Ocean.[12] On Ascension, annual nesting occurs in the volume of around 6,000 to 13,000 individual turtle nests.[13][14][15]
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m nAmerican Bureau of Shipping 2008, General Characteristics.
^ a bAmerican Bureau of Shipping 2008, Owner/Manager Address.
^ a bAmerican Bureau of Shipping 2008, Machinery.
^ a bAmerican Bureau of Shipping 2008, Hull.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k lHaff 1998, M.V. Ascension.
^American Bureau of Shipping 2008, Lifting Equipment.
^ a b cAmerican Maritime Officers 2000, Ascension Assists Boaters In Distress .
^Martin September 19, 1999, News from Ascension Auxiliary Airfield (AAF).
^Huxley 1999, From the Administrator's desk.
^ a bMartin December 23, 1999, News from Ascension Auxiliary Airfield (AAF).
^Broderick et al. 2002, p. 3.
^"Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas)". North Florida Field Office. United States Fish and Wildlife Service. December 29, 2005. Retrieved February 21, 2007.
^Seminoff, Jeffrey A.; et al. (2002). IUCN 2002 Red List Global Status Assessment: Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) (PDF). of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). p. 93. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 17, 2008.
^Godley, Brendan J.; Annette C. Broderick; Graeme C. Hays (February 2001). "Nesting of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) at Ascension Island, South Atlantic". Biological Conservation. 97 (2): 151–158. Bibcode:2001BCons..97..151G. doi:10.1016/S0006-3207(00)00107-5.
^Broderick, Annette C.; Brendan J. Godley; Graeme C. Hays (2001). "Monitoring and conservation of marine turtles of Ascension Island: a sustainable resource". Interim Report to Foreign and Commonwealth Office Environment Fund for the Overseas Territories. pp. 13 pp.
References
"Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia" (PDF). January 11, 2000. Retrieved September 26, 2007.
American Maritime Officers (2000). "Ascension Assists Boaters In Distress". American Maritime Officer. American Maritime Officers. Archived from the original on July 24, 2002. Retrieved May 6, 2008.
Broderick, Annette C.; Glen, Fiona; Godley, Brendhan J.; Hays, Graeme C. (2002). "A Management Plan for the Turtles of Ascension Island" (PDF). Marine Turtle Research Group: 3. Retrieved May 6, 2008. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
"Ascension (486260)". Port State Information Exchange. United States Coast Guard. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
Haff, Capt. Dana (December 17, 1998). "M.V. Ascension". The Islander (1414). Ascension Island: The Islander Newspaper. Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2008.
Martin, Major Larry. (September 19, 1999). "News from Ascension Auxiliary Airfield (AAF)". The Islander (1450). Ascension Island: The Islander Newspaper. Retrieved May 5, 2008.
Martin, Major Larry. (December 23, 1999). "News from Ascension Auxiliary Airfield (AAF)". The Islander (1465). Ascension Island: The Islander Newspaper. Retrieved May 5, 2008.
Huxley, R. C. (April 26, 1999). "From the Administrator's desk". The Islander (1431). Ascension Island: The Islander Newspaper. Retrieved May 5, 2008.
External links
Sealift Incorporated
Marine Turtle Research Group Homepage for Ascension Island Turtle Project