February 11th, 2007 
What does 78.1 million U.S. dollars buy you? Presidential election? A month’s supply of prescription medication? Health care? A house in California?
Definitely not enough money for any of those. What it does buy is a shiney new ship from fine Norwegian shipbuilders and a visit from royalty. Who else are you going to have build a ship? NERC (National Environmental Research Council, UK) and the National Oceanography Centre recently welcomed thier new addittion to the family. The RSS James Cook will see her first expedition to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
It’s certainly very big and shiny… we get a lovely view of it from the NOC canteen.