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About the Wire Pool

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Wire Pool maintains an inventory of wire ropes, cables and synthetic ropes that are common within the US academic research fleet. Working with NSF the Wire Pool oversees the distribution of tension members to the fleet. Requests from UNOLS vessel operators for new and used cable and wire rope should be directed to the Wire Pool where available resources can be identified. The Wire Pool then puts together a package of information including the vessel operators detailed request, the availability of required resources and the current state of the requestors inventory that is sent to the National Science Foundation for consideration. If approved, the Wire Pool then coordinates the shipping of the required tension member to the most convenient domestic port.

The Wire Pool conducts break tests on all new wire before placing it into the inventory. In addition, the Wire Pool conducts break tests on tension members previously purchased and distributed to the US ARF to meet the testing requirements of Appendix A of the Research Vessel Safety Standard. Occasionally a vessel will have a wire in use that was not supplied by the Wire Pool. Those tension members can also be tested by the Wire Pool. The vessel operator is responsible for shipping the wire sample to the Wire Pool and must submit a break test request through the Wire Pool database. There is no charge for testing tension member samples submitted by the US ARF.

The Wire Pool database is an interactive web-based program which allows vessel operators at each of the UNOLS fleet institutions to access and input information about their vessel’s tension members including a record of break tests, wire maintenance (lubrication), wire logs, damage reports and safe working load history. In addition, requests for a new tension member, and the addition of a tension member not distributed by the Wire Pool can be submitted through the database.

The NSF Wire Pool is hosted at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

To learn more about the NSF Wire Pool, visit our CONTACT page or email the NSF Wire Pool: unolswirepool@whoi.edu