The U.S.S. Albatross

The very first sea vessel reportedly used for marine research was the U.S.S. Albatross, officially commissioned in 1882. She was used for both wartime purposes and scientific research until being decommissioned in 1921. Her ultimate fate remains unknown, and her last known location was Hamburg, Germany.

As for her contributions to science, Smithsonian had this to say:

“The Albatross, designed to go anywhere in the world and work in the greatest depths, contributed more to our knowledge of marine fishes than any other ship” noting that “the number of scientific papers based on the ship’s work has never been counted but it runs into many hundreds.”