R/V Sally Ride
The Navy has named its newest research vessel after Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, and former UC San Diego faculty member.
The Scripps Institution of Oceanography will operate the R/V Sally Ride. The ship will be homeported at the Scripps Nimitz Marine Facility in Point Loma on San Diego Bay.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said of naming the research vessel after Ride:
"Sally Ride's career was one of firsts and will inspire generations to come. I named R/V Sally Ride to honor a great researcher, but also to encourage generations of students to continue exploring, discovering, and reaching for the stars."
Sally Ride lost her battle with pancreatic cancer in July of 2012. She was 61-years-old.
According to Scripps, the R/V Sally Ride will "engage in a broad spectrum of research" in areas like biology, climate science, and physics that will benefit both the Navy and the science community at large.
