Research vessel (RV)

A research vessel (RV) is a ship built to carry out oceanographic, geophysical, fisheries, or polar science at sea, fitted with laboratories, winches, and deployment gear rather than cargo holds. Typical equipment includes a CTD rosette for water sampling, multibeam echosounders, coring and dredging winches, an A-frame and side or stern gantries, and acoustically quiet propulsion so machinery noise does not corrupt the data. Many add dynamic positioning to hold station over a sampling site and a moon pool for instrument deployment. Endurance is long, often weeks to months, and ice-class research vessels work the polar regions. The mission, not a size class, defines the type.