SpaceBit

The Ship (Nathaniel B. Palmer)

Photograph by James Barker of the Nathaniel B. Palmer, a helicopter, and a team of scientists. © 2000 James Barker

Some details about the boat: It is 93.9 meters (308 feet) long (a bit longer than a New York City block), can travel through one meter of ice at three knots, can work year-round in Antarctic seas (often stormy and ice-covered), and can stay out of port for up to 75 days at a time and carry around 70 people (crew + scientists). It has a heli-pad on the rear deck.

I haven’t been able to find out the height, but based on this image it is about 7 to 10 stories tall (see people and helicopter for scale).

Life on the ship includes a gym (with sauna) and laundry on each deck, and a two-person berth with a shower for each crew member. There are five meals a day from 0730 to 0030, and people are active (science and operations) twenty-four hours a day.