The vessel known as USNS Indomitable (T-AGOS-7) was a Stalwart-class ocean surveillance ship constructed by the Tacoma Boatbuilding Company in Tacoma, Washington. Laid down on January 26, 1985, and launched on July 16, 1985, she was delivered to the U.S. Navy and entered service on November 26, 1985. As a non-commissioned ship operated by the Military Sealift Command, she had a mixed crew of Navy personnel and civilian merchant mariners. Her primary purpose during her Navy service was Cold War anti-submarine surveillance, equipped with Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System (SURTASS) gear. This system was used to collect underwater acoustical data, supporting Cold War anti-submarine efforts until the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991. Following the reduction in Cold War tensions, her SURTASS equipment was removed in 1993, and she was fitted with an AN/SPS-49 radar for counter-narcotics missions, primarily operating in the Caribbean and Panama Canal regions, deploying approximately 300 days annually. She also operated a civilian ham radio station for crew contact with families during her extended deployments. The Navy retired her on December 2, 2002, and she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register. Subsequently, she was transferred to NOAA, where she was converted into an oceanographic research vessel and commissioned as NOAAS McArthur II (R 330) in May 2003. She featured capacity for up to 38 personnel and 15 scientists, with specialized laboratories, deck cranes, winches, and inflatable boats supporting scientific missions. Her operations included extensive research along the U.S. West Coast and Central and South America, focusing on chemical, meteorological, and biological sampling. Retired by NOAA in June 2014, she remained inactive until 2017 when purchased by Caladan Oceanic LLC. Renamed DSSV Pressure Drop, she became a mother ship for the deep-ocean submersible DSV Limiting Factor, supporting the Five Deeps Expedition, which explored the deepest points of all five oceans. Notably, her submersible made the first crewed descent to the bottom of the Arctic Ocean’s Molloy Deep in 2019. As of early 2022, the vessel was sold to new owners, renamed RV Dagon, continuing her legacy in deep-sea exploration.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.