The Research Vessel ''Zephyr'' is currently owned by Ron Micjan and Ashley Paterson and is operated under the mantle of Outbound Marine LLC. The ''Zephyr'' was purchased from Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in October 2013, moved to Portland, Oregon, and refurbished over the next 2.5 years into a custom cruising, small ship expedition and research vessel.
Currently the ''Zephyr'' is operational on the Pacific coast of the US and has worked from Juneau and Dutch Harbor Alaska all the way down to San Diego. Customers include NOAA Fisheries, NOAA MML, US Army Corps of Engineers, DARPA, US Navy, US Army and Oregon State University.
Prior ownership of ''Zephyr'' was as a
research vessel
A research vessel (RV or R/V) is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated ...
operated by the
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) is a private, non-profit oceanographic research center in Moss Landing, California. MBARI was founded in 1987 by David Packard, and is primarily funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation ...
(MBARI). It was the primary platform of operations for MBARI's
AUV program and it was then christened R/V ''Zephyr''.
The original owner of the vessel was the
San Francisco Bar Pilots Association San Francisco Bar Pilots Association is the official maritime pilot group for the San Francisco harbor and associated waterways. The pilots in the group are licensed and regulated by California Board of Pilot Commissioners. The Association was creat ...
who had her built to specification by the
Colberg Boat Works
.
Colberg Boat Works was a shipbuilding company in Stockton, California on the Stockton Channel. To support the World War II demand for ships Colberg Boat Works built: Minesweepers, Type V ship Tugboats, and Submarine chasers. The minesweepers w ...
in Stockton.
References
Zephyr Northwest WebsiteMBARI Marine Operations
Research vessels of the United States
Monterey Bay Aquarium
1973 ships
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