R/V CAP’N BERT is a 53-foot stern trawler owned and operated by the University of Rhode Island Department of Fisheries, Animal, and Veterinary Sciences. The Graduate School of Oceanography Fish Trawl Survey has been performed from R/V CAP’N BERT since 1987.

Originally known as the ANGELITA, the vessel was seized by the U.S. Coast Guard in the Florida Keys in the early 1980s. Used for smuggling drugs, she was superficially configured as a longline fishing boat. The University of Rhode Island acquired the ANGELITA and performed a multi-year major refitting to transform her into a stern trawler and research/training vessel. The wheelhouse was moved aft several feet, and trawl winches, the A-frame transit, and all scientific and navigation technology were installed. The University of Rhode Island re-launched the ANGELITA in 1986 as R/V CAP’N BERT, named for the late Albert Hillier, Professor of fisheries and marine technology at the University of Rhode Island during the 1970s and 1980s.

R/V CAP’N BERT supports the research and educational needs of the University of Rhode Island and the Graduate School of Oceanography. In addition, R/V CAP’N BERT can be chartered for non-University of Rhode Island research and education. For more information, please contact Barbara Somers at 401-874-2012.

CAP’N BERT website: https://web.uri.edu/bert/