50 Years of Ocean Science: The R/V Endeavor Retires

A legendary research ship’s final sail. For nearly 50 years, the R/V Endeavor served as a floating laboratory for ocean science—supporting 700+ expeditions, training generations of students, and enabling research from CTD/rosette water sampling to seafloor mapping, deep-sea coring, and long-term climate and ecosystem monitoring. In this episode, the ship’s operations manager Brendan Thornton and longtime captain Chris Arminetti take listeners behind the scenes of life aboard a UNOLS research vessel: the tight-knit 12-person crew, the evolution from “go dark at sea” to Zoom offshore, and what it felt like to retire a ship with a million+ miles in her wake. Plus: what comes next for the fleet and ocean stewardship.Support our science communication by joining us on Patreon or sending us a gift on PayPalSpecial thanks to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for sponsoring this episode.Episode Guests: Brendan Thorton and Chris ArmanettiLearn more about the R/V Endeavor Here: Meet the next chapter: the Narragansett DawnDiscover the University of Rhode Island’s Oceanographic Research hereEpisode Transcript  and more information on the Pine Forest Media websiteFollow Pine Forest Media on Instagram @pineforestmediaHosted, produced, and edited by Clark Marchese Cover art by Jomiro EmingTheme music by Nela RuizFind some more Pine Forest Media podcasts below:Listen to South Pole on Spotify or Apple PodcastsListen to Plastic Podcast on Spotify or Apple PodcastsListen to Something in the Water on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.