RV Falkor

as Seefalke in Spring 2006
History
Cayman Islands
Name	MV Falkor Seefalke (Sea Hawk) (until July 2009)
Namesake	Falkor (luckdragon)
Operator	Schmidt Ocean Institute
Port of registry	George Town, Cayman Islands Hamburg (until 2009)
Builder	Orenstein & Koppel AG, Lübeck, Germany
Cost	$94 million (refit/conversion)
Yard number	760
Launched	22 December 1980
Completed	8 September 1981
Refit	2010-2012
Identification	IMO number: 7928677 MMSI number: 319005600 Call sign: ZCYL5
Status	in service
General characteristics
Tonnage	2,088 GRT; 627 NRT
Displacement	2,260 m³
Length	82.9 metres (272 ft)
Beam	13 metres (43 ft)
Draft	4.8 metres (16 ft)
Depth	6.67 metres (21.9 ft)
Speed	12 kn (cruising); 19.8 kn (max)
Range	13,000 nm
Endurance	40 days
Capacity	18 scientists
Crew	19+2 technicians
Aviation facilities	12.6 m diameter helideck. No storage or refuelling
Notes

RV Falkor is an oceanographic research vessel, the flagship vessel of the Schmidt Ocean Institute.

History

RV Falkor was originally built as Seefalke in 1981 in Lübeck, Germany as a fishery protection vessel. During an extensive refit at Peters Schiffbau shipyard in Wewelsfleth, Germany, from 2009 to early 2012, she was converted to an oceanographic research vessel. The conversion was funded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt with the intent of allowing researchers to use it free of charge, provided they make their findings free to the public within two months of the research.

In 2012, crew from the Falkor discovered the wreck of Terra Nova whilst mapping the sea bed off Greenland.

In August 2013, Canadian scientists investigated the dynamics of hypoxia in the "dead zone" of the Pacific Ocean off Vancouver Island.

Facilities

Falkor has a 20,000 lb SWL A‑frame over the transom, a 7,000 lb SWL F‑frame and 2 articulating cranes providing at least 2 ton weight lifting over the whole of the aft working deck. The cable of the CTD/Hydro winch can be routed to any of these.

On the main deck, a dry lab includes a 28 m² ROV / Echosounder Control Room, a 26 m² Lab / Office Space and 17 m² Data Lab. The wet laboratory is 32 m².

Falkor has dynamic positioning and can deploy light ROVs. There are shallow- and deep-water multibeam echosounders for acoustic research. The 6.3 m aluminium hull, 350 hp jet-drive boat has a bow ramp.