iXblue, a French company recognized worldwide for the design, development and manufacture of high-technology equipment, will supply Octans Fiber-Optic gyrocompass to both tall ship research vessels operated by the U.S.-based Sea Education Association (SEA).

SEA is an internationally recognized leader in undergraduate ocean education. For nearly 50 years and more than one million nautical miles sailed, they have educated students about the world’s oceans through their Boston University accredited study abroad program, SEA Semester. SEA is based on Cape Cod in the oceanographic research community of Woods Hole, Massachusetts and has two research vessels: the SSV Corwith Cramer, operating in the Atlantic Ocean, and the SSV Robert C. Seamans, operating in the Pacific. In 2016, SEA was honored with the National Science Board's Public Service Award for its role in promoting the public understanding of science and engineering. Last year, the National Maritime Historical Society presented Sea Education Association with the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Maritime Education.

The Corwith Cramer, which has been using an Octans first generation for the past 18 years, is renewing its equipment while her sister ship, the Robert C. Seamans, will be equipped for the first time with iXblue’s high-grade gyrocompass. Octans is built on iXblue’s trusted and unique ultimate-performance Fiber-Optic Gyroscope technology with thousands of units manufactured. The last generation Octans is an all-in-one product for diverse challenging applications, which raises the industry standard in measurement accuracy for roll, pitch and heave.

Dr. Paul Joyce, Dean of SEA, credits the Octans technology with providing his organization with years of excellent service. “We installed an Octans Fiber-Optic gyrocompass on Corwith Cramer in 2001 and it has worked reliably, giving us accurate heading data for both navigation and our oceanographic research. The customer and technical support were excellent as we considered our options for an upgrade of the ships’ navigation system. This long-time reliability, accuracy and service are what have driven us to purchase not only a new Octans for the Corwith Cramer but also for the Robert C. Seamans.”

Story by iXblue