Other Government-Funded Research Ships ~ Shipbuilding History

Other Government-Funded Research Ships

Most recent update: September 14, 2015.

This table attempts to list all the research ships currently or recently operated by or for the NSF, the EPA and the USGS, and by universities and institutions involved in the UNOLS system. There are many gaps and uncertain areas in this table, especially in the last section.

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Name	Builder		GT	LOA	Delivered	Notes
National Science Foundation (NSF) - established 1950
Aras II	Bath Iron Works	139	1,820	224	1930	acquired 1962 as Anton Brunn, sold 1968, scrapped 1993
Alpha Helix	Martinac SB	145	289	117	Feb 1966	operated by U. of Alaska Fairbanks, sold 2007, (Mexico)
Cayuse	Albina Machine	404	165	79	1968	operated by Oregon State U., retired
Goldenrod (WAGL-213)	Dubuque boat		170	104	June 1938	acquired 1973
Poplar (WAGL-214)	Dubuque boat		170	104	Feb 1939	acquired 1973
Oceanus	Peterson Builders	9250-1	289	177	Nov 1975	operated by Woods Hole Institution, op. by Oregon State U. 2012
Wecoma	Peterson Builders	9250-2	289	177	Nov 1975	operated by Oregon State U., scrapped 2012
Endeavor	Peterson Builders	9345	289	185	Oct 1976	operated by U. of Rhode Island
Cape Hatteras	Atlantic Marine	185	296	122	May 1981	operated by Duke U., sold to Cape Fear Comm. Coll. 2013
Point Sur	Atlantic Marine	186	296	122	July 1981	operated by San Jose State U., sold to U. of Southern Mississippi 2015
Bitt (WYTL-65613)	Western boat		80	65	May 1966	acquired 1982 as Clifford A. Barnes, op. by U. of Washington, sold 2019 as Bitt
Bernier	Marine Ind.	449	1,976	230	July 1983	acquired 1988 as Maurice Ewing, op. by Columbia U., sold 2005 as Nordic Bahari (S'pore)
Nathaniel B. Palmer	North American	137	6,174	281	Feb 1992	operated by Edison Chouest Offshore
Laurence M. Gould	North American	154	2,966	207	Oct 1997	operated by Edison Chouest Offshore
Western Legend	Ulstein Werft		3,834	235	1991	acquired 2004 as Marcus G. Langseth, op. by Columbia U.
Sikuliaq	Marinette Marine	650	3,334	261	July 1914	operated by U. of Alaska Fairbanks
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established 1970
Maple (WAGL-234)	Marine Iron		342		June 1939	acquired 1974 as Roger R. Simons, sold 1995
Antelope (PGM 86)	Tacoma boat		250	164	Nov 1967	acquired 1977 as Peter W. Anderson, scrapped 2010
Crockett (PGM 88)	Tacoma boat		250	164	June 1968	acquired 1977 as Rachel Carson, scrapped
Marsea XIV	Halter Moss Point	1013	283	180	Oct 1981	acquired 1988 as Lake Guardian
Bold (AGOS 12)	Tacoma boat	449	1,600	224	Oct 1989	acquired 2005 as Bold
Rude (S-590)	Jakobson SY	428	220	90	Mar 1967	acquired 2009 as Lake Explorer II
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) - established in its current form 1996
Polaris	Wilmington BW		114	91	1927	built as yacht Pasada Manana, acquired 1966
Muskie	Hansen Welding	71		65	1960	retired 2011
Kaho	Hansen Welding	72		65	1961	retired 2011
State Point	American Marine	922	474	142	Dec 1965	acquired 19-- as J. W. Powell, sold 2000
	Bender SB			75	1977	acquired 19-- as Grayling, to be retired 2015
Kiyi	Patti Shipyard	157	290		Oct 1999
Sturgeon	Basic Marine	117	180		July 2004
Kaho	Great Lakes SY	104	67	71	Aug 1911
Muskie	Great Lakes SY	105	67	71	Aug 1911
Arcticus	Burger boat	103	148	77	2014
University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) - established 1971 - listed by size
Melville	Defoe Sbldg.	442	2,670	279	Aug 1969	Scripps Institution, to the Philippines 2016 as Gregorio Velasquez
Knorr	Defoe Sbldg.	443	2,670	279	Jan 1970	Woods Hole Institution, to Mexico 2016 as Rio Tecolutla
Thomas G. Thompson	Halter Marine	1148	2,100	274	July 1991	U. of Washington
Roger Revelle	Halter Marine	1358	2,100	274	June 1996	Scripps Institution
Atlantis	Halter Marine	1416	2,100	274	Feb 1998	Woods Hole Institution
Sikuliaq	Marinette Marine	650	3,334	261	July 1914	U. of Alaska Fairbanks
Neil Armstrong	Dakota Creek	58	3,204	238	2015	Woods Hole Institution
Sally Ride	Dakota Creek	59	3,204	238	2015	Scripps Institution
Marcus G. Langseth	Ulstein Werft		3,834	235	1991	Columbia U.
Kilo Moana	Atlantic Marine	244	2,500	186	May 2002	U. of Hawaii
Endeavor	Peterson Builders	9345	289	185	Oct 1976	U. of Rhode Island
Oceanus	Peterson Builders	9250-1	289	177	Nov 1975	Oregon State U.
New Horizon	Atlantic Marine	172	800	170	Dec 1978	Scripps Institution
Atlantic Explorer	Houma Marine Fab.	73	292	168	Apr 1982	Bermuda Inst. for Ocean Sciences
Hugh R. Sharp	Dakota Creek	46	252	146	Oct 2005	U. of Delaware
Robert Gordon Sproul	Steiner Shipyard	116	84	125	Sep 1981	Scripps Institution
Pelican	Allied Shipyard	160	291	116	1985	Louisiana U. Marine Consortium
F. G. Walton Smith	Eastern SB	683	325	96	Feb 2000	U. of Miami
Savannah	Washburn & Doughty	72	265	92	Sep 2001	U. of Georgia
Blue Heron	Goudy & Stevens	20	175	86	Dec 1985	U. of Minnesota Duluth
Clifford A. Barnes	Western boat		80	66	May 1966	U. of Washington
Other University Research Vessels
Acadiana	Breaux's Bay Craft	1603	51	57	1985	Louisiana U. Marine Consortium
Cape Fear	Panhandle Marine	39	77	63	1988	U. of NC Wilmington
Cape Henlopen	Swiftships	115	228	110	1976	U. of Delaware
Centennial	Fred Wahl Marine	3	65	58	1990	U. of Washington
Chesapeake	Gulfstar Inc.		34	53	1974	Hampton U.
Connecticut	Washburn & Doughty	61	94		June 1998	U. of Connecticut
Coral Sea	Glenn E. Miller		143	84	1974	Humboldt State U.
Delphinus	Morgan Boats		54	53	1982	Florida Inst. of Technology
Elakha	Rozema BW	1159	42	54	2000	Oregon State U.
Fay Slover	Gladding-Hearn	333	51	55	Oct 2002	Old Dominion U.
First State	Derecktor NY	3600	63	62	June 2002	U. of Delaware
Gulf Challenger	Gladding-Hearn	288	45	50	Aug 1993	U. of New Hampshire
Jack Robertson	Howard Moe Ent.		76	57	2008	U. of Washington
John M. Kingsbury	Gladding-Hearn	247	34	47	June 1984	Cornell University
Kittiwake	Washburn & Doughty	76	102		Oct 2002
Laurentian			129	73	1974	U. of Michigan
Longhorn	Allied Shipyard	138	179	94	1971	U. of Texas
Mizner	Misener Marine		110		Mar 1981	Mississippi State U.
Neeskay	Higgins SY		75	68	1953	U. of Wisconsin Milwaukee
Ridgely Warfield	Bethlehem Steel	7006	260		1967	Johns Hopkins U.
Seward Johnson	Atlantic Marine	197	300	184	July 1984	Harbor Branch Institution
Tioga	Gladding-Hearn	344	53	60	Apr 2004	Woods Hole Institute
Seawolf	Washburn & Doughty	13	122	80	1982	State U. of New York
Weatherbird II	Bosarge Marine	1	194	101	1982	Bermuda Biological Station