vessel, was opened to the public yesterday after a brief ceremony featuring the brother of the man she was named after.

Mr. Henry James, brother of Alfred James (Weatherbird) Mills, recited a poem honouring the memory of his brother and the new look of the ship.

The poem was called "The Sinking of The Titanic''.

Weatherbird became the name of the Biological Station's main research ship in 1982 after a search by trustees for a unique Bermudian name that had not been used before.

Mr. James said his brother earned his nickname after he had been watching birds wash their faces in road puddles after a rain.

"Our aunt asked him to wash his face one day and his vision seemed to reflect on what he had seen the birds do,'' Mr. Mills said.

Weatherbird II completed a $1.3 million refit in June that expanded her oceanographic capacities. The changes also saw the ship made more seaworthy.