Editing Weather ship (section)

==Fading use==
[[File:Tempête Europe 1987.jpg|right|thumb|The [[Great Storm of 1987]], whose prediction would have been helped by Weather Ship R ("Romeo")]]
When compared to the cost of unmanned weather buoys, weather ships became expensive,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TmdlBqzl9WIC&pg=PA31|page=31|author=J. F. Robin McIlveen|title=Fundamentals of weather and climate|year=1998|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-7487-4079-6}}</ref>  and weather buoys began to replace United States weather ships in the 1970s.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2zQrAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA40|page=40|author=National Research Council (U.S.). Ocean Science Committee, National Research Council (U.S.). Study Panel on Ocean Atmosphere Interaction|title=The role of the ocean in predicting climate: a report of workshops conducted by Study Panel on Ocean Atmosphere Interaction under the auspices of the Ocean Science of the Ocean Affairs Board, Commission on Natural Resources, National Research Council|year=1974|publisher=National Academies}}</ref>  Across the northern Atlantic, the number of weather ships dwindled over the years. The original nine ships in the region had fallen to eight after ocean vessel C ("Charlie") was discontinued by the United States in December 1973.<ref name="USSR"/>  In 1974, the Coast Guard announced plans to terminate all United States stations, and the last United States weather ship was replaced by a newly developed weather buoy in 1977.<ref name="map">{{cite news |url=http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/viewArticle.do?id=2343 |title=Alpha, Bravo, Charlie... Ocean Weather Ships 1940–1980|author=Robertson P. Dinsmore |publisher=Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Marine Operations |date=December 1996|access-date=January 31, 2011}}</ref>

A new international agreement for ocean weather vessels was reached through the [[World Meteorological Organization]] in 1975, which eliminated Ships I (India) and J (Juliett), and left ships M ("Mike"), R ("Romeo"), C ("Charlie"), and L ("Lima") across the northern Atlantic, with the four remaining ships in operation through 1983.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bodc.ac.uk/data/information_and_inventories/edmed/report/1048041/|title=North Atlantic Ocean Weather Ship (OWS) Surface Meteorological Data (1945–1983)|author=Pan-European Infrastructure for Ocean & Marine Data Management|date=September 11, 2010|access-date=January 31, 2011|publisher=British Oceanographic Data Centre}}</ref>  Two of the British frigates were refurbished, as there was no funding available for new weather ships. Their other two ships were retired, as one of the British run stations was eliminated in the international agreement.<ref name="BritishShips"/>  In July 1975, the [[Soviet Union]] began to maintain weather ship C ("Charlie"), which it would operate through the remainder of the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="USSR">{{cite web|url=http://icoads.noaa.gov/kiel/Kiel.Isemer.pdf|publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]|title=Trends in Marine Surface Wind Speed: Ocean Weather Stations versus Voluntary Observing Ships|author=Hans-Jörg Isemer|page=76|date=August 13, 1999|access-date=March 25, 2011}}</ref>  The last two British frigates were retired from ocean weather service by January 11, 1982, but the international agreement for weather ships was continued through 1985.<ref name="UK1982">{{cite journal|url=http://weatherships.co.uk/images/Docs/Doc26.pdf|journal=[[The Marine Observer]]|title=Changes to the Manning of the North Atlantic Ocean Stations|year=1982|volume=LII|page=34|access-date=October 26, 2011|archive-date=May 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180509014826/http://www.weatherships.co.uk/images/Docs/Doc26.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Because of high [[operating cost]]s and budget issues, weather ship R ("Romeo") was recalled from the [[Bay of Biscay]] before the deployment of a weather buoy for the region. This recall was blamed for the minimal warning given in advance of the [[Great Storm of 1987]], when wind speeds of up to {{convert|149|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} caused extensive damage to areas of southern England and northern France.<ref name="Romeo">{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nCLWnFozM6EC&pg=PA25|title=Romeo Would Have Spied the Storm|magazine=New Scientist|date=October 22, 1987|page=22|volume=116|publisher=IPC Magazines|issue=1583}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>  The last weather ship was ''Polarfront'', known as weather station M ("Mike") at 66°N, 02°E, run by the [[Norwegian Meteorological Institute]].  ''Polarfront'' was withdrawn from operation on January 1, 2010.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Nature News|author=Quirin Schiermeier|title=Last Weather Ship Faces Closure|date=June 9, 2010|doi=10.1038/459759a|pmid = 19516306|page=759|issue=7248|volume=459|doi-access=free}}</ref>  Despite the loss of designated weather ships, weather observations from ships continue from a fleet of voluntary merchant vessels in routine commercial operation,<ref>National Data Buoy Center (2009-01-28). [http://www.vos.noaa.gov/vos_scheme.shtml The WMO Voluntary Observing Ships (VOS) Scheme.] [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]. Retrieved on 2011-03-18.</ref> whose number has decreased since 1985.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/jcomm/vos/documents/vos_brochure.pdf|publisher=[[Bureau of Meteorology]]|author=World Meteorological Organization|title=The WMO Voluntary Observing Programme: An Enduring Partnership|date=July 1, 2002|access-date=March 25, 2011|page=2|author-link=World Meteorological Organization}}</ref>
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