The Research Vessel

Research vessel

A research vessel is a ship designed and 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, others require a dedicated vessel...

 Triton is a trimaran

Trimaran

A trimaran is a multihulled boat consisting of a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls , attached to the main hull with lateral struts...

 vessel owned by Gardline Marine Sciences Limited and a former prototype British warship demonstrator

Demonstrator

A demonstrator may be:* A person performing a demonstration, such as to explain science or technology* An attendee at a political rally* A device or object used to perform a demonstration...

 for the UK's Defence Evaluation and Research Agency

Defence Evaluation and Research Agency

The Defence Evaluation and Research Agency was a part of the UK Ministry of Defence until July 2, 2001. At the time it was the United Kingdom's largest science and technology organisation...

. She was built as a technology demonstrator ship for the Royal Navy's Future Surface Combatant

Future Surface Combatant

The Global Combat Ship is a ship design and construction programme currently underway by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence to replace the Royal Navy's 13 Type 23 frigates. The programme has been in development since 1998, initially under the designation "Future Surface Combatant "...

, and has been used to both prove the viability of the hull-form and as a trials platform for other QinetiQ

QinetiQ

Qinetiq is a British global defence technology company, formed from the greater part of the former UK government agency, Defence Evaluation and Research Agency , when it was split up in June 2001...

 innovations.

Triton name is a reference to the maritime god Triton

Triton (mythology)

Triton is a mythological Greek god, the messenger of the big sea. He is the son of Poseidon, god of the sea, and Amphitrite, goddess of the sea, whose herald he is...

 who carried the three pronged spear, the trident, which relates to the vessel's three parallel hulls

Hull (watercraft)

A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...

. The outrigger

Outrigger

An outrigger is a part of a boat's rigging which is rigid and extends beyond the side or gunwale of a boat.In an outrigger canoe and in sailboats such as the proa, an outrigger is a thin, long, solid, hull used to stabilise an inherently unstable main hull. The outrigger is positioned rigidly and...

s are thinner and much shorter than the dominant central hull.

DERA and QinetiQ

Triton was designed as a demonstrator to prove that the trimaran concept would work successfully in a large warship. Following her launch in 2000, the ship began an extensive series of trials in 2001, which covered general ship handling, performance, sea-keeping behaviour, but also more specific areas to its design that the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 had no experience of — for example, a series of docking manoeuvres were undertaken by the pilot boats of HMNB Portsmouth

HMNB Portsmouth

Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the British Royal Navy...

 to determine the problems of docking a large trimaran, while the ship underwent underway replenishment

Underway replenishment

Underway replenishment or replenishment at sea is a method of transferring fuel, munitions, and stores from one ship to another while under way.-History:...

 alongside and the tanker RFA Brambleleaf

RFA Brambleleaf (A81)

RFA Brambleleaf was a Leaf-class support tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. She should not be confused with the support/freighting tanker RFA Brambleleaf of 1959, also with the pennant number A81. On the 18th of August 2009 she was towed to Ghent for scrapping....

 to ascertain the characteristics of a trimaran and a monohull replenishing at the same time. Triton also undertook the first helicopter take off and landing on a trimaran.

RV Triton was present at the International Festival of the Sea

International Festival of the Sea, 2001

The International Festival of the Sea, 2001 was held at H.M. Naval Base, Portsmouth between 24 and 27 August 2001. It was the third in a series of International Festivals of the Sea held in the United Kingdom since 1996. The event allowed people to walk around the Naval Base, to go on board many...

 in 2001, but visitors were not permitted on board.

Gardline Marine Sciences

Following the end of the Future Surface Combatant project, it was decided that the Triton was no longer necessary, so in 2005, she was sold to Gardline Marine Sciences Limited which is part of the Gardline group

Gardline group

The Gardline GroupBased in Great Yarmouth, the group consists of over 35 companies including CA Design Service, GSL Dardan, Gardline Infotech, 3d Architects...

 and was converted into a multi-role survey vessel; among other projects she had been used as part of the Civil Hydrography Programme on behalf of the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

's Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is a UK executive agency working to prevent the loss of lives at sea and is responsible for implementing British and International maritime law and safety policy.This involves coordinating search and rescue at sea through Her Majesty's Coastguard , ensuring that...

.

Australian Customs

In December 2006, Gardline contract

Contract

A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...

ed Triton to the Australian Customs Service

Australian Customs Service

The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service is the Australian Federal Government agency responsible for managing the security and integrity of the Australian border, facilitating the movement of legitimate international travellers and goods, and collecting border-related duties and...

 to patrol Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

's northern waters as one of the service's fleet of patrol vessels

Australian Customs Service National Marine Unit

The Customs Marine Unit , formerly the Australian Customs Service National Marine Unit, is a division of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service...

. Australian Customs Vessel Triton has been fitted with two .50 calibre heavy machine guns and carries up to 28 armed customs officers. The ship arrived from the UK in mid-January 2007 and started operations immediately It is reported that ACV Triton has been modified to provide additional accommodation at the expense of ballast, which has apparently reduced the vessel's inherent stability. Note that especially high stability is intrinsically less important in the calmer waters of the South Pacific and Indian Oceans.