The scientific research drilling ship JOIDES Resolution began operations in January 1985 as the Sedco/BP 471. The vessel is named for the HMS Resolution, commanded by Captain James Cook over 200 years ago, which explored the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and the Antartic region. Like its namesake, the purpose of the current Resolution is to sail for scientific exploration. But this time, those discoveries lie deep beneath the oceans.

The physical dimensions of the ship are remarkable. Fitted with a derrick standing 61.5 m (202 ft) above the water line, the 143 m (469 ft) long ship is 21 m (68.9 ft) wide. During a leg, the crew positions the ship over the drill site using 12 computer-controlled thrusters as well as the main propulsion system. The rig can suspend as much as 9,150 m (30,020 ft) of drill pipe to an ocean depth as great as 8,235 m (27,018 ft).

Near the center of the ship is the "moon pool," which is a 7 m (23 ft) wide hole, through which the drill string is lowered. Each pipe joint is about 28.5 m (93.5 ft) and weighs about 874 kg (1925 lb). The drill crew uses the draw works to thread each joint to the drill string. The process of lowering the drill bit, which is affixed to the end of the drill string, takes about 12 hours in 5,500 m (18,045 ft) of water (Lowering the Drill String movie clip). To core through the seafloor, the entire drill string is rotated. The thrusters mounted underneath and facing perpendicular to the long axis of the ship keep the massive vessel from rotating.

The ship has a "lab stack" where several laboratories and offices are distributed over 14,000 square feet. See this link at the IODP-USIO Web site http://www.iodp.tamu.edu/labs/ship.html for lab schematics, analytical capabilities and descriptions of the living quarters and recreation spaces.

Work aboard the ship never ceases; operations continue 24 hours a day, even during port calls. A ship's complement can consist of 60 scientists and technicians and 65 crew member, including the Transocean drilling crewmembers. See the IODP-USIO Web site http://www.iodp.tamu.edu/scienceops for the schedule, scientific participants and objectives of expeditions.

Statistics of missions are now available through Expedition 312, which can be seen at http://www.iodp.tamu.edu/publicinfo/ship_stats.html . This data reveals the intensity with which explorations are conducted.