KINGSTON, R.I. — After nearly 50 years of continuous operation, the research vessel Endeavor will be retired from service upon completion of its final mission, on Sept. 20.

Owned by the National Science Foundation and operated by the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) under a charter party agreement, the ship was first launched in 1975. Over the course of its career, the R/V Endeavor brought thousands of scientists, engineers, technicians, students, and teachers on some 700 expeditions and traversed more than a million miles in support of science.

Built by Peterson Builders Inc., in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., the R/V Endeavor was one of three intermediate-class research vessels commissioned by the National Science Foundation. At 185 feet, it was designed from the keel up for oceanographic work, a floating laboratory built to advance exploration and discovery.

The R/V Endeavor was officially christened at the GSO pier on Dec. 11, 1976. Nuala Pell, wife of Sen. Claiborne Pell, broke the traditional bottle of champagne across the bow. Sen. Pell, recognizing the importance of ocean science to the region and the nation, was instrumental in bringing the ship to the Ocean State.

The R/V Endeavor’s 400th cruise, on Nov. 29, 2004, was the first to be funded by the state as part of the Rhode Island Endeavor Program, a state-supported initiative designed to give Rhode Islanders greater access to the vessel’s research and educational opportunities.

The longest cruise by the R/V Endeavor took place from April to July in 2009. A dozen University of Rhode Island students and staff embarked on a 20,000-nautical-mile journey spanning three countries and 135 days at sea. Departing from Florida, they traveled to Brazil and then across the Atlantic to Namibia, conducting experiments for the Navy and the National Science Foundation along the way.

More information about the R/V Endeavor can be found here and here.