RV Petrel

RV Petrel in December 2017
History
Name	Petrel (from 2016) Seven Petrel (2013–2016) Acergy Petrel (2007–2013) Seaway Petrel (2003–2007)
Owner	Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command
Operator	Oceaneering International
Port of registry	Douglas  Isle of Man
Builder	Fincantieri with support of "Brattvaag Skipsverft AS" now VARD by Fincantieri [1]
Yard number	101
Launched	19 December 2002
Completed	23 April 2003
Acquired	October 2022
Identification	IMO number: 9268629 MMSI number: 235102789 Callsign: 2HDR6
Status	Laid up since 9/2020 (as at 4/2021)
General characteristics
Type	Research vessel
Tonnage	3,371 GT
Length	76.45 m (250 ft 10 in)
Beam	15 m (49 ft 3 in)
Draft	7.465 m (24 ft 5.9 in)
Crew	20 marine crew and 10 project crew

RV Petrel, or R/V Petrel (IMO: 9268629, MMSI: 235102789),^[2][3] is a 76.45 m (250.8 ft) research vessel sailing under the UK flag and owned by the United States Navy and once owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The ship is named after the petrel, a sea bird. The ship was completed by Brattvaag Skipsverft, Norway in 2003 as the deepwater offshore inspection vessel Seaway Petrel for service with Stolt Offshore.^[1] She was later renamed Acergy Petrel, then Seven Petrel with Subsea 7.^[4]

In 2016, the ship was purchased by Allen, renamed Petrel and converted for deep-submergence research and archeology. Over two dozen wrecks were explored and recorded between 2017 and 2020, when the ship was laid up. In October 2022, she was purchased by the United States Navy's Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, for operation under Oceaneering International management.^[5]