NOAA upgrades its research fleet

Nature News: The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has retired the last of its wooden-hulled ships on the same day it commissioned a modern research vessel.

On 13 August, the John N. Cobb was retired in Seattle, Washington, after 58 years of service. The ship conducted fishery studies off the coast of Alaska and was reportedly kept running with parts scavenged from nautical museums.