Silver Ships is honored to partner with various research and surveying organizations across the country. One in particular, Central Michigan University (CMU), is leading the way in aquatic research and education of the Laurentian Great Lakes.

CMU’s Institute for Great Lakes Research (IGLR) focuses their research on the growing threats to the aquatic environment in the Great Lakes region, including toxicants, other pollutants and invasive species. Because the Midwest economy depends heavily on the sport and commercial fishing industry in the Great Lakes, IGLR also monitors fish throughout the basin. Silver Ships worked closely with Drs. Donald G. Uzarski and Ian R. Davison on the research vessel’s design. Dr. Uzarski is a Professor of Biology, Director of the Institute for Great Lakes Research, and Director of the CMU Biological Station on Beaver Island. Dr. Ian Davison is the Dean of the College of Science and Engineering at CMU, but currently serving as the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Reorganization Initiative.

CMU’s Silver Ships boat, a 38-foot Endeavor series vessel, was built to allow Dr. Uzarski’s institute to travel further into the Great Lakes to study ecology, limnology and other subjects. The research team uses their vessel three to four times per week to travel onto Lake Michigan and drop down water-sampling equipment to gather chemical and physical profiles and measure toxicants, plankton and oxygen levels. IGLR also takes students with faculty members on the vessel to further educate and give them more hands-on experiences.

CMU’s research institute has been able to travel further out into the Great Lakes with the help of their Silver Ships vessel, which provides a stable ride despite punishing waves and a variety of depths that range from 6 to 350-feet-deep. They have also launched a remotely operated vehicle with a mounted camera from the vessel so that students can watch research being conducted at depth from the deck of the vessel and in a classroom setting.

One of the groups even made a “rescue” while conducting research on their Silver Ships vessel when they were able to transport a group of passengers safely to land after the mast on their small sailboat was destroyed in high winds.

We are grateful for the opportunity to assist organizations like CMU’s Institute for Great Lakes Research by providing a durable vessel that helps extend their research capabilities to protect and restore the Great Lakes.

Silver Ships, Inc. produces high-quality aluminum boats for military, federal, state and municipal government as well as commercial applications. The company’s vision is to provide customers with a boat designed, built, outfitted and best-suited to meet their operational needs while offering the maximum in crew safety and outstanding performance. For more information, contact us at (251) 973-0000 or fill out a Contact Form.