JOIDES Resolution History and Brief Description

Note: The Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) completed operations in September 2003, at which point the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) began. The JOIDES Resolution conducted IODP operations in 2004–2005 with the same capabilities as during ODP. It was modernized during 2007–2008 and resumed operations as IODP's riserless vessel in 2009. The information on this page applies only to ODP and is preserved for archival purposes.

See new IODP information about the JOIDES Resolution.

The scientific research vessel JOIDES Resolution began operations in 1978 as the Sedco/BP 471, originally an oil exploration vessel. In January 1985, after being converted for scientific research, the vessel began working for the Ocean Drilling Program. The JOIDES Resolution was owned by Overseas Drilling Limited, which was a joint venture company owned 50% by Transocean and 50% by DSND Shipping AS.

The vessel was 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 Resolution was to sail for scientific exploration. But this time, those discoveries lay deep beneath the oceans.

The physical dimensions of the ship were remarkable. Fitted with a derrick standing 61.5 m (202 ft) above the water line, the 143 m (469 ft) long ship was 21 m (68.9 ft) wide. During a leg, the crew positioned the ship over the drill site using 12 computer-controlled thrusters as well as the main propulsion system. The rig could 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 was the "moon pool," which was a 7 m (23 ft) wide hole, through which the drill string was lowered. Each pipe joint was about 28.5 m (93.5 ft) and weighed about 874 kg (1925 lb). The drill crew used the draw works to thread each joint to the drill string. The process of lowering the drill bit, which was affixed to the end of the drill string, took about 12 hours in 5,500 m (18,045 ft) of water (Lowering the Drill String; 1-Mb mpeg illustration). To core through the seafloor, the entire drill string was rotated. The thrusters mounted underneath and facing perpendicular to the long axis of the ship kept the massive vessel from rotating.

The ship had a "lab stack" where several laboratories were organized on seven floors with over 12,000 sq ft of space. On Deck 1 (Hold) at the bottom of the vessel was the general cold storage. Deck 2 (Lower 'Tween) had the refrigerated core storage and most of the gym. The gym was continued on Deck 3 (Upper 'Tween), which also housed the electronics shop and photography lab. On Deck 4 (Main) were the computer user room, computer center, and science lounge. Deck 5 (Fo'c'sle) contained chemistry, microbiology, paleontology, and X-ray laboratories. Deck 6 (Bridge) was where core handling, sampling, and description were done. Also on this deck were the physical properties and paleomagnetism laboratories, and the core photo table. Deck 7 (Lab Stack Top) contained the downhole measurements and thin section laboratories. At the fantail of the ship (Poop Deck), the underway geophysics lab contained the equipment that gathered ship position, water depth, and magnetic information useful in studying the topography of the seafloor. Living quarters, the hospital, and library were located in the forward section of the ship. Simplified versions of the various decks can be viewed without the requirement of the Quicktime plug-in.

Work aboard the ship never ceased; operations continued 24 hours a day. A ship's complement could consist of 50 scientists and technicians and 65 crew members. The curator controlled the preservation of cores. The photographer recorded the appearance of each core when it first arrived into the core laboratory. Even during port call, work continued around the clock.

The Glomar Challenger was the drillship of the Deep Sea Drilling Project.