 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Research vessel" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(September 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Aresearch vessel (RV orR/V) is aship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry outresearch atsea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated vessel. Due to the demanding nature of the work, research vessels may be constructed around anicebreakerhull, allowing them to operate in polar waters.
The research ship had origins in the early voyages of exploration.[2] By the time ofJames Cook'sEndeavour, the essentials of what today we would call a research ship are clearly apparent. In 1766, theRoyal Society hired Cook to travel to thePacific Ocean to observe and record thetransit of Venus across theSun.[3] TheEndeavour was a sturdy vessel, well designed and equipped for the ordeals she would face, and fitted out with facilities for her "research personnel",Joseph Banks. As is common with contemporary research vessels,Endeavour also carried out more than one kind of research, including comprehensivehydrographic survey work.
Some other notable early research vessels wereHMSBeagle,RVCalypso,HMSChallenger,USFCAlbatross, and theEndurance andTerra Nova.
The names of early research vessels have been used to name later research vessels, as well asSpace Shuttles.
A hydrographic survey ship is a vessel designed to conducthydrographic research andsurvey.Nautical charts are produced from this information to ensure safenavigation bymilitary andcivilianshipping.
Hydrographic survey vessels also conductseismic surveys of the seabed and the underlyinggeology. Apart from producing the charts, this information is useful for detecting geological features likely to bearoil orgas. These vessels usually mount equipment on atowed structure, for example,air cannons used to generateshock waves that soundstrata beneath theseabed, or mounted on thekeel, for example, adepth sounder.
In practice, hydrographic survey vessels are often equipped to perform multiple roles. Some function also asoceanographic research ships. Naval hydrographic survey vessels often do naval research, for example, on submarine detection.
An example of a hydrographic survey vessel isCCGSFrederick G. Creed. For an example of the employment of a survey ship seeHMS Hydra.
Oceanographic research vessels carry out research on thephysical,chemical, andbiological characteristics ofwater, theatmosphere, andclimate, and to these ends carry equipment for collecting water samples from a range of depths, including the deep seas, as well as equipment for thehydrographic sounding of the seabed, along with numerous other environmental sensors. These vessels often also carryscientific divers[4] andunmanned underwater vehicles. Since the requirements of both oceanographic and hydrographic research are very different from those of fisheries research, these boats often fulfill dual roles. Recent oceanographic research campaigns includeGEOTRACES andNAAMES.
Examples of an oceanographic research vessel include theNOAASRonald H. Brown and theChilean NavyCabo de Hornos.[5]
Afisheries research vessel requires platforms capable of towing different types offishing nets, collectingplankton or water samples from a range of depths, and carryingacoustic fish-finding equipment. Fisheries research vessels are often designed and built along the same lines as a largefishing vessel, but with space given over tolaboratories and equipment storage, as opposed to storage of the catch. An example of a fisheries research vessel isFRVScotia.
Naval research vessels investigate naval concerns, such as submarine and mine detection or sonar and weapons trials. An example of a naval research vessel is thePlanet of theGerman Navy.
Polar research vessels are constructed around anicebreaker hull, allowing them to engage inice navigation and operate in polar waters. These vessels usually have dual roles, particularly in theAntarctic, where they function also as polar replenishment and supply vessels to the Antarctic research bases. Examples of polar research vessels includeUSCGCPolar Star,RSVAurora Australis[6] andRSVNuyina.[7]
Oil exploration is performed in a number of ways, one of the most common being mobile drilling platforms or ships that are moved from area to area as needed to drill into the seabed to find out what deposits lie beneath it.
Modernmerchant ships | ||
|---|---|---|
| Overviews |  | |
| Dry cargo | ||
| Tankers | ||
| Passenger | ||
| Support | ||
| Other types | ||
| Related | ||
