QUESTION:
Has the Polar Duke ever been harmed in Drake's Passage?
Why is the boat that takes people across Drake's Passage 
called the Polar Duke?

        Caroline D. of Mrs. Moore's 3rd grade class 
        Bettie Fisher, Media Specialist
        Eberwhite Elementary School
        Ann Arbor, MI


ANSWER from Janet Barnes, Aboard the RV Polar Duke 
            Sat, 5 Apr 1997 17:30:34 +0000 (GMT)

Dear Caroline,

The Duke has made some very rough crossings of the Drake Passage but has 
never been harmed there.  In another part of the world, waves broke out 
one of the windows.  The Captain and crew of the Polar Duke always try to 
make sure that the Duke is very safe before we leave port.  Plus, if the 
weather looks too dangerous, they wait for it to get better.  

The Polar Duke was built in 1983 in Norway.  The Duke was named in Norway 
before being contracted by the National Science Foundation to work in the 
Antarctic.  The company that built the Duke, Rieber Shippping, also has 
ships named Polar King and Polar Queen!  They work in other parts of the 
world.


						Janet Barnes
						Marine Logistics
						USAP