Chilean Naval Staff Meet Melville

Members of the Department of Meteorology from the Chilean Navy pose before a tour on the Scripps Institution of Oceanography research vessel Melville in Valparaiso, Chile. The ship also provided tours to University of Valparaiso biology students, and Catholic University geology students. R/V Melville is in its 41st year of operation, the oldest ship in the U.S. Academic Research Fleet.
“Melville has visited ports in Chile frequently over the last decade, and we’ve established working relationships with the Chilean Navy as part of our research clearance,” said Scripps Associate Director Bruce Applegate. “We distribute data collected aboard Melville to the Naval Hydrographic Offices in Chile.”
While en route to the port at Valparaiso, Captain Dave Murline and crew were able to donate used clothes and electronics to an orphanage in Punta Arenas, Chile.
“I’ve found that the most profound international relationships begin with small gestures, like a tour. Our ships are the mobile classrooms of Scripps Institution of Oceanography and UC San Diego. There is no better way to involve people directly then to bring them aboard a floating laboratory,” said Applegate.