USC&GSS Pathfinder
The Coast and Geodetic Survey Ship Pathfinder in the Philippines in the early 1900s. This was the first Pathfinder.
NOAA Photo Library: Image ID: ship0236, NOAA's Fleet Then and Now – Sailing for Science Collection | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name | Pathfinder |
| Owner | United States Coast and Geodetic Survey |
| Operator | United States Coast and Geodetic Survey |
| Builder | Crescent Shipyard at Morris Heights, New Jersey |
| Cost | $169,993 |
| Completed | 1898 |
| In service | 1899-January 30, 1942 |
| Renamed | Research 1941 |
| Fate | Beached in sinking condition January 30, 1942 |
| Notes |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Survey ship |
| Length | 196.25 ft (59.82 m) |
| Beam | 33.5 ft (10.2 m) |
| Draft | 13 ft (4.0 m) |
| Depth of hold | 19.66 ft (5.99 m) |
| Decks | Three |
| Installed power | Triple expansion steam engines developing 846 horsepower or 1,173 horsepower under forced draft |
| Sail plan | Brigantine-rigged, 4,500 square feet of canvas |
| Speed | 10.5 to 13 knots |
| Range | 5,000 miles |
| Notes | Specifically built for Alaska service |
The first USC&GSS Pathfinder, also noted in some NOAA histories as "old Pathfinder", was a United States Coast and Geodetic Survey ship in service from 1899 to 1941, when she was beached in sinking condition on January 30, 1942, after 40 years service in the Philippines.