RV David Packard

|} RV David Packard is a scientific research vessel operated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). The ship is named after engineer and philanthropist David Packard, who founded MBARI in 1987.

Construction

MBARI began looking at the acquisition of a new research vessel in 2009, with the intention to fully replace the aging RV Western Flyer in 2023.^[1] MBARI chose Seattle-based Glosten in 2010 to design the ship and assisted in the shipyard bidding process, awarding Vigo company Freire to construct the vessel.^[2][3] The construction contract with Freire was finalized in 2021.^[4] Special care needed to taken into account, as Western Flyer regularly deployed the remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) Doc Ricketts and would need the vessel to serve as a command center for deepwater research. The ship was designed to be larger than the previous research vessel to expand MBARI's ability to collaborate with external partners, increase endurance for a larger operational range, and launch autonomous technologies.^[5]

The keel for the David Packard was laid in November 2021.^[6] The hull was completed and floated for the first time at the Vigo estuary in October 2022. At this point the ship was able to test the retractable stabilizer and dynamic positioning systems. Following the test, the ship returned to shipyard to work on the ship's internal science and engineering systems. MBARI retained a close relationship with Sonardyne deep positioning systems and chose the company's Ranger 2 USBL system to support geodesy and AUV survey missions.^[7] MBARI had also used Sonardyne technologies on previous research vessels, the RVs Point Lobos and Western Flyer.

Despite problems related to the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues bloating the ship's construction time by over a year, construction remained on budget.^[8]

David Packard was completed and departed from Vigo on February 1, 2025 for a 59-day transit to Moss Landing.^[5] En route the ship stopped in Ensenada, where scientists and students from the Autonomous University of Baja California and Ensenada Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education were hosted aboard the ship. The vessel was delivered to MBARI on March 31, 2025 and was estimated to cost US$50,000,000.^[4] Upon arrival, MBARI began work on installing custom oceanographic equipment prior to additional time in dry dock and regulatory inspections. The ship's first scientific missions are expected in late 2025.

Construction plaque aboard David Packard

References

1. "Construction begins on MBARI's new flagship research vessel — MBARI Annual Report: 2021". MBARI Annual Report. Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
2. "MBARI announces construction of new state-of-the-art research ship, R/V David Packard • MBARI". MBARI. Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
3. "The R/V David Packard: A Cutting-Edge Research Vessel for MBARI". Glosten. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
4. "California's MBARI Takes Delivery of a New Research Vessel". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
5. Nava, Raul (3 April 2025). "MBARI expands capacity for ocean research with new state-of-the-art ship • MBARI". MBARI. Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
6. "Freire Shipyard Floats MBARI's New Research Vessel". MarineLink. Maritime Activity Reports, Inc. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
7. "MBARI Chooses Ranger 2 USBL for New Research Ship". www.hydro-international.com. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
8. Rodriguez, Katie (3 April 2025). "After more than a decade, MBARI's latest research vessel is here". Monterey County NOW. Retrieved 15 July 2025.

External links

• Official MBARI ship page

RV David Packard docked at San Diego in March 2025.
History
United States
Name	David Packard
Namesake	David Packard, MBARI founder
Owner	MBARI
Launched	2024
Acquired	2025
Homeport	Moss Landing, California
Status	Active
General characteristics
Type	Research vessel[1]
Length	50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Beam	12.8 m (42 ft 0 in)
Draft	3.65 m (12 ft 0 in)
Installed power	3 × 629 ekW MAN D2862 LE427 generators
Propulsion	2 × Schottel SRP260 propellers 2 × 530 kW RAMME magnet motors 1 × 300 kW ZF Marine 300 RT side thruster
Speed	Max 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Range	4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi)
Capacity	18 scientists
Crew	12

1. "Freiere NB-731" (PDF). freireshipyard.com. Retrieved 15 July 2025.