Yesterday, the research vessel Petrel rolled off her blocks in a drydock in Edinburgh, Scotland, leaving 35 people injured. BBC reports that twenty-three people were taken to the hospital and 12 were treated at the scene of the incident at Imperial Dock in Leith. The 3,371 GT research toppled over in strong winds rolling to an angle of 45 degrees.

The Petrel was previously owned by Paul Allen, one of the founders of Microsoft. With Allen’s support, the vessel achieved an awe-inspiring record of underwater discoveries, locating a veritable fleet of lost naval shipwrecks.

Allen bought Petrel in 2016 to become a dedicated research and exploration platform. After a 2016–2017 retrofit, Petrel was equipped with state-of-the-art technology and the latest systems integration to allow deep-sea search. The vessel had a 6,000 m (19,685 ft) depth-capable ROV, an AUV, and a multibeam echo sounder. It also has dynamic positioning capability that allowed the vessel to stay in station for ROV operations.

In 2017, Petrel discovered the Italian World War II destroyer Artigliere; the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis; and the wrecks of the Japanese battleships Yamashiro, Fusō, and the destroyers Michishio, Yamagumo, and Asagumo. It also located the wrecks of the American destroyers USS Ward, USS Cooper, the Japanese destroyer Shimakaze, and what is believed to be two Yūgumo-class destroyers.

In 2018, Petrel located the wreck of the aircraft carrier USS Lexington, which sank during the Battle of the Coral Sea as well as the antiaircraft light cruiser USS Juneau which sank with the loss of 687 men, which included the five Sullivan brothers. It also discovered the wreck of the light cruiser USS Helena.

Despite Paul Allen’s death in late 2018, Petrel continued her string of discoveries in 2019. These included the American aircraft carriers USS Wasp, USS Hornet, and USS St. Lo; the Japanese carriers Kaga, and Akagi; the Japanese cruisers Furutaka, Maya, Mogami, and Chōkai; the Japanese battleship Hiei; and the American destroyers USS Strong, and USS Johnston. The Johnstone is believed to be the deepest shipwreck ever located at 20,406 feet (6,220 m) deep.

Also in 2019, the Petrel located and surveyed the wrecks of the Philippine ferry, MV Doña Paz, and the oil tanker MT Vector. The collision of the ferry and the tanker resulted in the deaths of an estimated 4,385 people with only 26 survivors, making it the deadliest peacetime maritime disaster in history.

In 2020, Petrel engaged primarily in oceanographic surveying and mapping.

In October 2022, Petrel was purchased by the United States Navy for its Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (NAVFAC EXWC), to be operated by the American company Oceaneering International.

Thanks to Alaric Bond, David Rye, and Roger Eastman for contributing to this post.