The R/V "Lake Guardian" (ex "Marsea XIV") is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency''s largest research and monitoring vessel, and is operated by EPA''s Chicago-based Great Lakes National Program Office.
The Lake Guardian is in its 18th season in the Great Lakes, and has been used, extensively, to support monitoring and research activities ranging from investigations of toxic contaminants to the health of the biological communities of the lakes.
The EPA continues to use the R/V "Lake Guardian" to support a wide range of research activities conducted by Federal, State, and local agencies and universities.
The vessel has recently undergone a repower by JMS Naval Architects. The EPA has been instrumental in defining the current Tier 2 requirements for diesel engines installed in newly built vessels. In keeping with these principals, the EPA chose Tier 2 certified engines for this repower. The new main engines are a pair of Tier 2-compliant Cummins QSK38 producing 1200 HP each at 1800 RPM with C-Command Elite Plus Monitoring System. The engines turn 83x79-inch propellers in Kort nozzles on 7 5/8th-inch shafts through Twin Disc model MG540 gears with 5.17:1 ratios and EC-300 Control Systems. This is the first ABS approved QSK38 to MG540 unit certification in the United States.
