View source for Earth:MS Polarfront

{{short description|Norwegian weather ship}}
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{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:Polarfront.jpg|300px|The weather ship MS ''Polarfront'' at sea]]
|Ship caption=
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{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship name=''Polarfront''
|Ship owner=Latitude Blanche
|Ship operator=
|Ship registry=Marseille, {{flag|France}}
|Ship route=
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=*Mandal Slip & m.V. (hull)
*Fitjar Mek.Verksted AS (outfitting)<ref name="dnv">{{csr|register=DNV|id=10693|shipname=Polarfront|accessdate=19 July 2013}}</ref>
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number=57
|Ship laid down=1 August 1975<ref name="dnv" />
|Ship launched=1 March 1976<ref name="dnv" />
|Ship completed=14 December 1976<ref name="dnv" />
|Ship christened=
|Ship acquired=
|Ship maiden voyage=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship identification=*{{IMO number|7608708}}
*Call sign: FJYK
*{{MMSI|228092600}}
|Ship fate=
|Ship status=In service
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Header caption=<ref name="dnv" />
|Ship class=
|Ship type=Expedition ship
|Ship displacement=
|Ship length={{convert|54.25|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|10|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship height=
|Ship draft={{convert|4.368|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship depth={{convert|7.87|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship ice class=DNV ICE-C
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship power=[[Company:Wichmann Diesel|Wichmann]] 5AX
|Ship propulsion=Single shaft; [[Engineering:Variable-pitch propeller (marine)|controllable-pitch propeller]]
|Ship speed=
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'''MS ''Polarfront''''' was a Norwegian weather ship located in the [[Earth:Atlantic Ocean|North Atlantic Ocean]]. It was the last remaining weather ship in the world, maintained by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.

A weather ship is a ship stationed in mid-[[Earth:Ocean|ocean]] to make [[Earth:Weather reconnaissance|meteorological observation]]s for [[Earth:Weather forecasting|weather forecasting]]. Since the 1960s this role has been largely superseded by [[Astronomy:Satellite|satellite]]s, long-range [[Engineering:Aircraft|aircraft]] and [[Earth:Weather buoy|weather buoy]]s.

MS ''Polarfront'' was known as weather station M ("Mike"), and was located at 66°N, 02°E. Standard meteorological observations were performed on an hourly basis from the beginning of the 1960s.

On 27 February 2009, the cancellation of the station was announced.<ref>[http://www.yr.no/nyheter/1.6499421 Siste reis for værskipet - yr.no (Norwegian)]</ref>  MS ''Polarfront'' was removed from service on 1 January 2010. 

[[File:Polarfront-in-Adventfjorden.jpg|thumb|left|The ship serving as an expedition ship in 2022.]]
Since 28 June 2017, MS ''Polarfront'' has been owned and operated by the French shipping company Latitude Blanche for expedition purposes in high latitudes.

== History of station M ==
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) took the responsibility to operate an international network of ocean weather stations in the north Atlantic. The network was established in 1948 and consisted of 13 stations, including station M. The need for weather ships from civil aviation decreased gradually while meteorological societies still needed observations from the oceans. In 1974 the [[Organization:World Meteorological Organization|World Meteorological Organization]] (WMO) took responsibility for the four remaining stations. The international agreement about weather ships was ended in 1990. The {{wipe|United Kingdom}} and {{wipe|Norway}} continued the operation of one station each, station L ("Lima"), west of Scotland, and station M, in the Norwegian Sea. Station L was ended in the middle of the 1990s. Thus station M was the only one still remaining.

The first two weather ships to man station M were ''Polarfront I'' and ''Polarfront II''. The Norwegian authorities were the ship owners. The ships were rebuilt Royal Navy corvettes ({{HMS|Saxifrage|K04|6}} and {{HMS|Bryony|K192|6}}). They served until 1974 and 1976, respectively. In 1974 the Norwegian state made an agreement with the shipping company Misje Offshore Marine AS in [[Place:Bergen|Bergen]] to hire a new and modern ship, which was given the name ''Polarfront''.

For several years the ship alternated with the Dutch weather ship ''Cumulus'' to staff station M. From 1986 on ''Polarfront'' staffed station M alone. Each month ''Polarfront'' left the station for one to two days to take on a new crew and new supplies. Once a year, usually in early October, the ship stayed in its home port for a week to carry out maintenance.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121011060955/http://www.yr.no/place/Norway/Hav/V%C3%A6rskipet_Polarfront/ yr.no: Observations and forecasts from Polarfront (station Mike)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929091852/http://met.no/met/met_lex/v_a/weathership.html Norwegian Meteorological Institute - Station "Mike"]
* [http://www.latitudeblanche.com Latitude Blanche]
* [https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:182324/mmsi:228092600/vessel:POLARFRONT POLARFRONT (Exhibition Ship) Registered in France - Vessel details, Current position and Voyage information - IMO 7608708, MMSI 228092600, Call Sign FJYK | AIS Marine Traffic]

{{Meteorological equipment}}
{{Earth-based meteorological observation}}
{{coord|66|0|N|2|0|E|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Polarfront}}
[[Category:Meteorological data and networks]]
[[Category:Oceanographic instrumentation]]

{{Sourceattribution|MS Polarfront}}