Scripps Oceanography’s research vessels are ships and boats dedicated to serving as global, regional, and local platforms for research and instruction at sea.
R/V ROGER REVELLE
Global-Class, general-purpose research vessel capable of long-duration missions in extreme environments worldwide.
R/V SALLY RIDE
Ocean-Class, general-purpose research vessel.
R/V ROBERT GORDON SPROUL
Regional general-purpose research vessel serves research and education missions offshore California and the US West Coast.
R/V BOB AND BETTY BEYSTER
A purpose-built coastal research vessel designed for efficient operations offshore Southern California and throughout the Channel Islands.
Emeritus Vessels
Emeritus vessel: FLIP
The Floating Instrument Platform, or FLIP, was one of the most innovative oceanographic research tools ever invented. Over the course of its distinguished service life spanning more than 50 years, FLIP enabled research at the frontiers of science and exemplified the ingenuity of scientists and engineers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.
Emeritus vessel: R/V MELVILLE
After a distinguished 45-year service life, R/V Melville was retired from the U.S. Academic Research Fleet following her final cruise in September 2014.
Emeritus vessel: R/V NEW HORIZON
A groundbreaking design by Scripps engineer Maxwell Silverman led to the development of the general-purpose research vessel New Horizon, which was used extensively by the CalCOFI Program and scores of other research missions throughout the eastern Pacific.