Ships

Abstract

Ships dedicated to exploration date back to before the common era seeking new lands or trade routes. Modern oceanography has come to include biological, chemical, geological, and physical oceanic processes. This era of oceanic research might be considered to have been ushered in by the voyage of the HMS Challenger, 1872–76. Oceanographic research vessels (RVs), therefore, are intended to engage in diverse and multidisciplinary studies. General-purpose RVs tend to be relatively small, but outfitted with winches, cranes, and frames for overboard work, laboratories, as well as state-of-the-art instrumentation. Special-purpose RVs, on the other hand, are designed specifically for hydrographic surveys or to be engaged in fisheries research, or geophysical research or polar exploration. With more than a hundred major RVs worldwide, international cooperation is fostered by the International Research Ship Operators association, which meets regularly to address common problems affecting the world's fleet of research vessels.