The Rude, a federal research vessel, was involved in the search for wreckage from TWA Flight 800 off Long Island in 1996 and John F. Kennedy Jr.’s aircraft after it disappeared off Martha’s Vineyard in July 1999.

Courtesy of NOAA

The Rude, a federal research vessel that was involved in several noteworthy events in southern New England in recent years, was decommissioned last week at its home port in Virginia.

At 90 feet, Rude (pronounced Rudy) was the smallest ship in the fleet of research and mapping vessels operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

It was best known, according to NOAA, for its efforts to find wreckage from TWA Flight 800 off Long Island in 1996 and John F. Kennedy Jr.’s aircraft after it disappeared off Martha’s Vineyard in July 1999.

The ship scanned hundreds of miles of sea floor, using technology that was more typically used to identify navigational hazards and water depths.

“It is a sad occasion to say goodbye to this very special ship after such important contributions to the nation,” said Rear Admiral Jonathan W. Bailey, director of the NOAA Corps, which operates the NOAA vessels. “However, it’s time to replace Rude with a new, technologically advanced hydrographic vessel. NOAA currently has a coastal mapping vessel under construction, which will become operational next year.”

Rude was commissioned in 1967 and it was primarily used to chart waters along the East Coast.

In 1992, when the Queen Elizabeth II ran aground off Cuttyhunk Island, it was Rude that found the two large rocks on the bottom that were not identified on any navigation charts — charts that had not been updated since 1939.

In 1996, while surveying local shipping channels, Rude found three wrecks on the bottom near the Mount Hope Bridge.

In 2004, Rude found a shipwreck in Narragansett Bay, southeast of Prudence Island. Nautical charts showed a water depth of 95 feet, but shoaling had reduced the water depth to 55 feet and the bow of the wreck rose to within 36 feet of the surface.

When Rude was first put into service, it scanned the ocean bottom by dragging a wire connected to a sister ship. When the wire snagged on obstructions, they were noted for charts.

By the mid-1980s, NOAA says, the Rude was equipped with side-scan sonar, which it eventually used to find the TWA and JFK aircraft.

More recently, the vessel was equipped with multibeam sonar that acquires data by transmitting 240 sonar beams. It also used a Differential Global Positioning System that works with satellites to position the vessel within three meters.

Rude was named for Capt. Gilbert T. Rude, an officer in the former Coast and Geodetics Survey from 1903 to 1945. Rude developed the Rude Star Finder, a navigational device used to locate celestial bodies.

The Rude’s future hasn’t been determined yet, according to an NOAA spokeswoman. She said another federal agency, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Effects Research Laboratory in Duluth, Minn., has expressed interest in using Rude for ecological research and monitoring in the Great Lakes.

Climate change summit tomorrow

A summit on the financial risks and opportunities posed by climate change is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Save the Bay Center on Fields Point in Providence.

The summit is hosted by state General Treasurer Frank T. Caprio. Keynote speaker will be Richard Sandor, founder and chief executive officer of Chicago Climate Exchange, a company that provides a market for trading emissions credits.

Mindy Lubber, president of Ceres, an organization that works with companies and investors to address sustainability issues such as climate change, will be moderator. Also speaking will be Michael F. Ryan, president of National Grid Rhode Island Distribution, and Saul Kaplan, executive director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation.

To attend, contact Erica Scharn in the treasurer’s office at escharn@treasury.ri.gov or at (401) 222-2397.

Workshop on fate of Shooters site

The group called the Project for Public Spaces is jumping into the fray over the future of the former Shooters nightclub next to India Point Park, in Providence.

The state Department of Transportation wants to sell the land to the highest bidder this year. Many residents, fearful of development of condominiums or offices that would block their access to the Bay, want a zone change that would bar commercial uses.

A workshop is scheduled for 3 to 7 p.m. on Monday, April 7, at the Radisson Hotel. There will be a presentation on what makes waterfront public spaces work in other cities, a site walk and a brainstorming session.

The workshop is free, but space is limited to 100 people. To make a reservation, call (401) 831-5995, ext. 712. The workshop is sponsored by the Head of the Bay Gateway and Friends of India Point Park. The Project for Public Spaces is a group that has worked around the world to help communities reuse and revive their waterfronts.

Former URI dean on climate trends

Margaret Leinen, former dean of the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography and now chief science officer of Climos Inc., will present the annual Charles and Marie Fish Lecture in Oceanography at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 11.

The lecture, titled “Climate Change Today and Tomorrow: Where Do We Go From Here?” will be given in the Coastal Institute Auditorium at URI’s Bay Campus.

Climos is a company that is leveraging natural processes to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Leinen will talk about the solutions that have been proposed for climate-change mitigation, the degree those solutions address the carbon emissions problem and research into capturing carbon directly from the atmosphere.

For more information about the lecture, call (401) 874-6211.

The water’s free, the barrel isn’t

The East Providence Conservation Commission is sponsoring a sale of rain barrels from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 19, at Pierce Memorial Field on Mercer Street in East Providence.

The rain barrels, which collect and store water from household drainpipes, must be pre-ordered. They cost $69.

To order, go to: www.nerainbarrel.com/EastProvidence.html or call (877) 977-3135. For more information go to www.eastprovidenceri.net/documents/2008RainbarrelFlyer.pdf.

The making of a local meal

People interested in locally grown food in Rhode Island may want to see a new documentary film, The Making of a Local Meal, which will be shown Wednesday evening in Xavier Auditorium at Johnson & Wales University.

The auditorium is at Broad and Claverick streets. Doors will open at 7:30 and the film will be shown at 8 p.m.

The film shows the farms and farmers who contributed the vegetables, seafood and meats for a recent annual meeting and dinner of the Southern Rhode Island Conservation District. It was produced by students of the Johnson & Wales Green Collaborative under the guidance of Chef Rolando Robledo. The students gathered food from local farms and prepared it for the dinner.

The film shows the quality and availability of locally produced food.

Energy Council director to speak

John Farley, executive director of The Energy Council of Rhode Island, will speak during the University of Rhode Island’s lecture series at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 2, at the Coastal Institute of the Kingston campus.

Farley’s talk is titled, “The Role of Energy in the Rhode Island Economy: Blessing or Curse?” He is the third speaker in the energy lecture series.

The energy council was established as a consortium of energy users that would work to lower the energy costs for Rhode Island businesses while preserving environmental quality and an adequate supply of energy.

Volunteers sought for tree inventory

The Lincoln Land Trust is looking for volunteers to help it do an inventory of trees in town. It started the inventory last fall with 35 volunteers and it is looking for 35 new volunteers to help complete the work this spring. About one third of the town has been completed so far.

A training session is being offered at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 7, at the Town Hall.

For more information call (401) 333-1100 or go to www.lincolnri.org. To volunteer, call Judy Hadley at (401) 724-5292 or write to treelady@cox.net.

Imagine there’s no drinking water

A workshop on the state’s drinking water problems is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 2, in the Newport Campus auditorium of the Community College of Rhode Island.

Speakers will include representatives of Save the Bay, the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program, Grow Smart Rhode Island, the Aquidneck Island Land Trust, as well as local officials from Aquidneck Island.

For more information, go to www.coalitionforwatersecurity.org.

The Environmental Journal is a listing of brief news items about the actions of individuals, organizations and businesses that affect the air we breathe, the water we drink and the landscape that surrounds us. If you have comments or suggestions, please contact environment reporter Peter B. Lord at (401) 277-8036, or by e-mail at plord@projo.com or by writing him, care of The Providence Journal, 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI 02902.