Ten reasons why we think RV Investigator is the GOAT

By  Matt Marrison 12 December 2024 5 min read

Here are ten reasons why our boat* is the GOAT.

(*Technically, it’s a ship but that doesn’t rhyme.) 

112 voyages from ice to equator

We might be mixing our farm animals, but this vessel is a workhorse for marine science. On average, RV Investigator delivers 11 voyages a year including research, charter, transit and sea trials voyages. The vessel travels the length and breadth of our vast marine estate to deliver these voyages, from the tropics to the north to the Antarctic ice edge in the south.

516,592 kilometres travelled

RV Investigator goes the extra nautical mile for science. In the past decade, the vessel has travelled the equivalent of 13 laps of the globe (40,000 km) or 37 times around Australia by sea (14,000 km). Everywhere it goes, RV Investigator collects vital underway data from an array of distributed sensors on board to help us better understand, monitor and manage our oceans and atmosphere.

1427 participants from 215 institutions and 23 countries

Every voyage on RV Investigator creates a vital hub for collaboration. The vessel’s capacity to foster collaboration not only powers the science but also provides a platform for training and knowledge transfer between individuals, institutions and intergenerationally. The vessel creates a unique community – and comfortable home at sea – for talented teams of up to 60 staff, scientists, students, ship crew and other intrepid adventurers working together on voyages of up to 60 days.

3,244,810 square kilometres of seafloor mapped

We put more of Australia’s seafloor on the map than anyone else. Since the vessel arrived in 2014, the area of Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone that’s been mapped to a modern standard has increased from 25 to 35 percent. This is in no small part thanks to the substantial mapping contribution from RV Investigator.

In 2023-24 alone, the vessel provided more than half of all mapping published to Australia’s AusSeabed national seabed mapping initiative.

153 new species described

RV Investigator is giving Australia’s scientists a bounty of new species to describe. In fact, we’ve collected so many undescribed species that taxonomists (scientists who describe species) can’t keep up! This is largely due to the vessel’s capability to survey and sample life from the deepest parts of the ocean, a mostly unexplored and previously inaccessible environment for scientists.

Furthermore, of the 153 new species described so far, four have been named for RV Investigator in honour of the vessel’s contribution to our understanding of marine biodiversity.

Scientists estimate that there are more than 1,000 species awaiting description from RV Investigator voyages. Remarkably, they also estimate that the ‘average’ newly described marine species is described after sitting on the shelf for 13.5 years! So, you can expect many more new species from our voyages to be described in the coming years.

6 shipwrecks discovered

Led by our onboard experts in seafloor mapping and seagoing instrumentation, collaborative teams aboard RV Investigator have helped uncover significant shipwrecks along Australia’s coastline. This includes the discovery of wrecks of SS Macumba (NT), SS Iron Crown (Vic), MV Blythe Star (Tas), SS Nemesis (NSW) and MV Noongah (NSW).

The impact of these discoveries is significant for our nation, solving enduring maritime mysteries, preserving underwater cultural heritage and bringing closure for communities as well as, in some cases, the survivors of these tragedies.

3895 km of CTD casts

The science we do is epic. It’s not uncommon for the vessel to conduct several hundred science operations on a single voyage. To demonstrate, if you laid all the CTD (conductivity, temperature and depth instrument) casts done by RV Investigator end-to-end, they’d almost reach across Australia from east to west, which is a distance of nearly 4,000 kilometres!

1st mobile GAW station

In 2018, the World Meteorological Organization recognised RV Investigator as a full-time mobile station in its Global Atmosphere Watch network. This network tracks short-term variability and long-term trends in the composition of the atmosphere.

In addition, the vessel also contributes important ship-based weather radar observations to the Australian weather radar network, improving modelling and forecasting of the weather.

1844 voyage publications

All data collected by RV Investigator is made freely available for everyone to use and benefit from. This includes the data collected using both our equipment and user-supplied equipment. Importantly, the marine and atmospheric research we deliver provides trusted information to inform decision making by industry, government and the community.

1 incredible science ship

It’d be hard to squeeze more science into this impressive multidisciplinary research vessel. With its dedicated onboard laboratories, cutting-edge scientific equipment and instruments, expert ship crew and CSIRO specialists, and the flexibility to add equipment to suit nearly any occasion, RV Investigator is supremely suited for its mission to deliver excellent marine research to benefit the nation.

However, we’re just getting started!

RV Investigator is currently undertaking a program of upgrades as part of its middle of life refit. This will further enhance the vessel’s impressive scientific capabilities to ensure we continue to deliver the science we need to take care of our precious marine environment.

One thing’s for sure, this GOAT isn’t kidding around when it comes to serving up excellent marine research.

RV Investigator is part of the Marine National Facility, national collaborative research infrastructure operated by CSIRO and funded by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).