English: Let me go on to a bit of context. For those who don't know the Prince Madog, she's a beautiful vessel and a highly specialised one. She arrived at Bangor University in 2001, replacing the original Prince Madog that had been operational since 1967. Throughout all that time, this unique Welsh asset has been used to teach many, many thousands of marine science undergraduate and higher level students, it's proved to be invaluable in collecting scientific data from the sea shelf around the UK, it's underpinned thousands of scientific publications, and through the brilliant SEACAMS programmes in particular, has been key in the delivery of hundreds of collaborative research projects designed to support, develop and enhance Wales's marine economy. Now, at 20 and a bit years old, she still has years of service to offer. She's well maintained - very well maintained. As one of the team working with her told me, 'She's in her prime.' She's also very cost-effective. Going backwards and forwards to ports costs a lot of money, but the Prince Madog can offer 24-hours-a-day research for 10 days at a time. Similar vessels can cost tens of thousands of pounds a day to charter, some of that relating to the costs of things like dynamic position control systems. Now, the Prince Madog doesn't need that because of the kind of technology that it carries on board, and it's the technology that is the big wow factor. It's state of the art. Now, the technology itself is here because of the investment made through successive EU-funded SEACAMS projects. SEACAMS provided a direct way for Bangor University to maintain and continuously enhance the pool of scientific instrumentation used on the vessel. That includes the multibeam sonar systems, which have easily been the most frequently used piece of scientific equipment over the last decade. The most recent kit, just a couple of years old, is the Teledyne Reson T50 multibeam transducer. Now, just saying it feels like I'm in a Star Wars movie. But, put it this way, it's currently one of the most advanced bits of kit that you can get, and this system, in combination with the standard and flexibility of the ship itself, presents Wales with a unique opportunity to get to know its marine environment in an unprecedented level of detail over the coming decade, and we would benefit massively from doing so.
Welsh: Gadewch imi roi ychydig o gyd-destun. I'r rhai nad ydynt yn gwybod am Prince Madog, llong hardd yw hi ac mae'n un arbenigol iawn. Cyrhaeddodd Brifysgol Bangor yn 2001, i gymryd lle'r Prince Madog wreiddiol a oedd wedi bod yn weithredol ers 1967. Drwy gydol yr amser hwnnw, defnyddiwyd yr ased Cymreig unigryw hwn i ddysgu miloedd lawer o fyfyrwyr gwyddor môr israddedig ac uwch, mae wedi bod yn amhrisiadwy wrth gasglu data gwyddonol o wely'r môr o amgylch y DU, mae wedi bod yn sail i filoedd o gyhoeddiadau gwyddonol, a thrwy raglenni gwych Ehangu Sectorau Arfordirol a Morol Cymwysedig mewn Dull Cynaliadwy, SEACAMS, yn arbennig, mae wedi bod yn allweddol wrth gyflawni cannoedd o brosiectau ymchwil cydweithredol a luniwyd i gynorthwyo, datblygu a gwella economi forol Cymru. Bellach, yn 20 oed ac ychydig, mae ganddi flynyddoedd o wasanaeth i'w gynnig o hyd. Mae hi'n cael ei chynnal a'i chadw'n dda - yn dda iawn. Fel y dywedodd un o'r tîm sy'n gweithio gyda hi wrthyf, 'Mae hi yn ei hanterth.' Mae hi hefyd yn gosteffeithiol iawn. Mae mynd yn ôl ac ymlaen i borthladdoedd yn costio llawer o arian, ond gall Prince Madog gynnig ymchwil 24 awr y dydd am 10 diwrnod ar y tro. Gall llongau tebyg gostio degau o filoedd o bunnoedd y dydd i'w llogi, gydag ychydig o hynny'n ymwneud â chostau pethau fel systemau dynamig ar gyfer rheoli lleoliad. Nawr, nid oes angen hynny ar Prince Madog oherwydd y math o dechnoleg y mae'n ei chario ar ei bwrdd, technoleg o'r radd flaenaf sy'n syfrdanol. Nawr, mae'r dechnoleg ei hun yno oherwydd y buddsoddiad a wnaed drwy brosiectau olynol SEACAMS a gâi eu hariannu gan yr UE. Rhoddodd SEACAMS fodd uniongyrchol i Brifysgol Bangor gynnal y casgliad o offer gwyddonol a ddefnyddir ar y llong a'i wella'n gyson. Mae hynny'n cynnwys y systemau sonar aml-belydr, sef y darn o gyfarpar gwyddonol a ddefnyddiwyd amlaf dros y degawd diwethaf, yn ddi-os. Yr offer diweddaraf, sydd ond yn flwyddyn neu ddwy oed, yw'r troswr aml-belydr Teledyne Reson T50. Nawr, mae dim ond ei ddweud yn teimlo fel pe bawn i mewn ffilm Star Wars. Ond rhowch y peth fel hyn, ar hyn o bryd mae'n un o'r darnau mwyaf datblygedig o offer y gallwch ei gael, ac mae'r system hon, ochr yn ochr â safon a hyblygrwydd y llong ei hun, yn cynnig cyfle unigryw i Gymru ddod i adnabod ei hamgylchedd morol yn fwy manwl nag erioed o'r blaen dros y degawd sydd i ddod, a byddem yn elwa'n aruthrol o wneud hynny.