R/V Gilbert R. Mason

R/V Gilbert R. Mason will improve scientists’ access to the ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico
and Caribbean using the state-of-the-art ship.
Owned by NSF and valued at over $100 million, this Regional Class Research Vessel (RCRV)
is currently under construction, and scheduled for delivery to the GCOC in 2028 after a year
of rigorous sea trials.

Once constructed, GCOC scientists will use R/V Gilbert R. Mason to
carry out regional scale research in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.
The ship will have dual home ports in Mississippi and Louisiana to support scientific
research and vessel maintenance, respectively.

The primary home port, and base for
embarkation of research expeditions, will be the Port of Gulfport in Gulfport, Miss. USM’s
Marine Research Center at the Port of Gulfport will provide marine technical services and
scientific support for the ship. LUMCON’s future facility in Houma, La. will serve as the
maintenance, crew and secondary embarkation port.
 

The new ship is expected to facilitate transformational regional, national and
international research important to the U.S. and the world. For instance, it will enable
valuable research on environmental change, the global hydrologic cycle, biodiversity in
the ocean, and marine mineral resources. The consortium will also create opportunities
for students and the public to connect with marine scientists and their work, and it will
dedicate efforts to build and grow an inclusive and diverse future for marine science on
the Gulf Coast and a science-informed community.

Against great odds, Dr. Mason followed a dream of science in service to the nation. He
practiced medicine in the vibrant, working class neighborhood of East Biloxi from 1955 to
2002. A champion swimmer who delighted in coastal seascapes, Mason discovered the
segregated beaches of his new hometown denied his family access to the ocean. From 1959
to 1963, at great risk to his life, he led public “wade- ins” in Biloxi to open beaches to all
citizens. His efforts led to repeated arrests, bombings, and reprisals.

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Equal access to the sea brought Dr. Mason to prominence. His and wife Natalie Hamlar
Mason’s (later a founder of the Department of Social Work and adjunct professor at USM) concern for equal access to
education led them to file one of the first school desegregation suits in the Deep South.

As a result, in 1964,

Biloxi’s public schools became the first in Mississippi to desegregate.

The Masons’ son, Gilbert R. Mason Jr. was named in the suit, and as a direct consequence of its
success, Mason Jr. found a path to a career in medicine.

 Mason Sr.’s love for the sea was shared with his
granddaughter, Aria Mason, and for several years she attended a marine biology camp run
by the J.L. Scott Marine Education Center in Biloxi, with Dr. Mason an enthusiastic
participant in exploratory trips.
Mason Sr. served on President Nixon’s Advisory Committee to the Cabinet Committee on
Education and as a consultant to President Carter, and, in the aftermath of Hurricane
Camille was part of the Mississippi Governor’s Emergency Council to plan the Gulf Coast’s
reconstruction and recovery.

“The National Science Foundation has a long history of advocating for inclusion in research,knowing that inclusive science yields the most complete perspectives and outcomes. Commemorating Dr. Mason’s lifeand achievements will be a good reminder that this NSF-owned research vessel will not only openthe waters to further discovery, but it will open opportunities for a wide range of researchers.”

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-Terrence Quinn,

Division Director: Director of Ocean Sciences, NSF

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Click to watch construction live from the shipyard.

“I am so proud of the National Science Foundation’s demonstrated confidence in the
quality of our work as part of the Gulf-Caribbean
Oceanographic Consortium,  and I am
exceptionally proud that this new vessel will bear the name of a distinguished
Mississippian who made an extraordinary impact not only on our coastal community, but
also on the state of Mississippi and beyond. Our responsibility as an R1 institution is to
advance the creation and understanding of knowledge for us all, and it could not be more
fitting to memorialize Dr. Mason’s legacy of advocating for equal access to the sea in this
way.”

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Rodney D. Bennett, President,

The University of Southern Mississippi

“The name embodies the GCOC’s aspiration for societally relevant science to be carried outon the ship and our lasting commitment to open marine science to all who seek to enter the field or

benefit from our work.

For me, it is our true north."

-Dr. Leila Hamdan, Associate Director, School of Ocean Science and Engineering,

The University of Southern Mississippi