On the second leg of the One Ocean Expedition, experts from ESA, NASA, OceanData Lab, and the Nansen Center are on board Statsraad Lehmkuhl. The proud sailing ship is a floating research vessel.
– Statsraad Lehmkuhl is truly unique.
The words come from British scientist Craig James Donlon, Head of Earth Observation System Architecture at the European Space Agency (ESA).
On April 20, Statsraad Lehmkuhl docked in Tromsø, marking the end of the first leg of the One Ocean Expedition 2025–2026. There, Donlon boarded the ship alongside an ESA astronaut, researchers from NASA, ESA, and the Nansen Center, as well as 47 PhD candidates from around the world. They will sail from Tromsø to Reykjavik, then across the North Atlantic and through the Mediterranean to Nice.
But what are two of the world’s leading space agencies doing on a 111-year-old sailing ship?
The answer is simple: Statsraad Lehmkuhl is not only Norway’s largest sailing vessel, it has also become, thanks to a chance pub conversation in Cape Town, a highly advanced research ship.
World-class technology at sea
During the previous expedition in 2023–2024, ESA and the Nansen Center sailed aboard the ship from Maputo, Mozambique to Cape Town, South Africa. The vessel was already equipped for marine research, but when expedition director Haakon Vatle saw the extensive gear ESA and the Nansen Center brought along, he realized the ship had untapped potential.
Once ashore in South Africa, Vatle asked Donlon what upgrades would be needed to turn Statsraad Lehmkuhl into an even better research platform.
– We had a few drinks, and I told him what they needed, Donlon recalls.
They parted ways, and Donlon thought little more of it, until Vatle called a few months later to say they had installed everything.
– We said, okay, if everything is in place, then we’ll have to join the One Ocean Expedition again, Donlon explains.
In 2024, the ship underwent major renovation in dry dock in Bergen. Beyond updating its hull and sailing infrastructure, a partnership with Kongsberg Discovery, the Institute of Marine Research, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, NORCE, and Aanderaa/Xylem helped turn the vessel into a state-of-the-art research ship.
Kongsberg installed echo sounders, hydrophones, AR-based navigation aids, and a digital infrastructure for collecting and accessing ocean data onboard. Researchers also installed equipment like a CTD rosette for measuring salinity, temperature, and depth, and an ADCP instrument for monitoring ocean currents. A brand-new onboard laboratory was also added.
Hands-on ocean education
The journey from Reykjavik to Nice aims to give future oceanographers and Earth observation experts direct experience of the sea. ESA, NASA, OceanDataLabs, and the Nansen Center use satellite-based Earth observation to monitor the planet, especially its oceans. This work is key to understanding climate, weather, marine ecosystems, and changing ocean patterns.
– We can measure a lot from space, but we can’t see deeper than about 50 meters below the ocean surface, Donlon explains. That’s why combining satellite data with direct ocean measurements is essential.
It’s equally important that those analyzing this data truly understand what it represents. Many ocean scientists and Earth observation specialists work primarily with computers and data models, covering everything from weather forecasting to detecting algal blooms.
– Every day at sea is different. Every hour is different. Seeing it with your own eyes changes your perspective. You start to understand how different measurements fit together, and how they connect to models, Donlon says.
Bound by hammocks and seasickness
For six weeks, 47 carefully selected students from around the world will sail aboard Statsraad Lehmkuhl, learning from ESA, NASA, and Nansen Center experts. In the final leg, top-level leaders from ESA and other organizations will join them.
What makes Statsraad Lehmkuhl particularly unique as a research vessel is its capacity. Unlike modern research ships, it has room for far more people and offers large teaching areas. Everyone takes turns on watch and sleeps side by side in hammocks. This close living builds camaraderie no classroom could replicate.
– That shared experience is very important, says Johnny A. Johannessen, head of research coordination at the Nansen Center in Bergen, Norway.
The students and instructors come from diverse academic fields and institutions. Sharing watch duty, meals, laughter - and occasional seasickness, fosters both collaboration and interdisciplinary insight.
– Training aboard a sailing ship provides a unique experience. It builds understanding across fields, highlights the need for ocean measurements, and helps students form lasting professional networks, Johannessen says.
Astronaut training at sea
It’s not just scientists aboard. From Reykjavik, ESA astronaut Pablo Álvarez Fernández joins the expedition.
The goal: to practice teamwork under demanding conditions, and to introduce astronauts to oceanographic research.
– We want astronauts to understand what they’re seeing when they look down at Earth and the ocean. That way, they can recognize unusual phenomena, take images, and help us better understand what’s happening down here, says Donlon.
Translated from Norwegian by Ronald Toppe
