After almost five decades of service, the research vessel Endeavor will complete its final mission on Sept. 20 before being retired from the U.S. oceanographic fleet.
Owned by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) under a charter agreement, the 185'x33' Endeavor has been at sea since 1975.
GSO’s website said the vessel averaged about 200 days a year underway, carrying scientists, engineers, technicians, students, and teachers on more than 700 missions and logging more than one million nautical miles.
“The Endeavor has been a cornerstone of ocean science for nearly half a century,” URI officials said. “Its contributions to research and education have been felt locally in Rhode Island and across the globe.”
The Endeavor is one of the Oceanus-class research vessels, built in 1976 by Peterson Builders Inc., Sturgeon Bay, Wis., and designed by John Gilbert Associates. The ship underwent a major mid-life refit in 1993.
Throughout its career, the vessel supported approximately 736 scientific expeditions, hosted more than 8,000 scientists, and stopped in 22 countries including Barbados, Bermuda, Brazil, Peru, Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador, Haiti, Canada, Iceland, Norway, France, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Monaco, Greece, Ukraine, Senegal, and Namibia. Its deepest instrument deployment reached 28,543', and its longest single cruise lasted 38 days.
The vessel cruises at 10 knots with a maximum speed of 14 knots. Its range is 8,000 nautical miles at 12 knots, with an endurance of 30 days.
The Endeavor carries 56,100 gals. of fuel and 8,200 gals. potable water.
Onboard evaporators produce 2,400 gals. per day and reverse osmosis systems produce 1,200 gals. per day. A typical complement consists of 12 crew, along with 13 to 14 scientists and one to two marine technicians.
Propulsion on the vessel is provided by a GM-EMD 16-645-E5 diesel engine producing 3,050 hp at 900 rpm, driving a single controllable-pitch propeller inside a Kort nozzle through a 3.75:1 reduction gear. Maneuverability is enhanced with a J. Samuel White 320-hp waterjet bowthruster, powered by a DC variable-speed drive.
Ship’s service power comes from twin Caterpillar 300-kW generators, one Caterpillar 175-kW generator, and a John Deere 40-kW emergency generator.
The Endeavor will return to URI’s Bay Campus pier in Narragansett, R.I., on Sept. 20 at 3 p.m. ET following its last scheduled mission. Its retirement marks the close of a long-running chapter in East Coast marine science.
Tours for the public and media are planned Oct. 4–5, with limited availability.
