Glomar Challenger<span> was a deep sea research and </span>scientific drilling<span> vessel for </span>oceanography<span> and </span>marine geology<span> studies. The </span>drillship<span> was designed by Global Marine Inc. (now </span>Transocean<span> Inc.) specifically for a long term contract with the American </span>National Science Foundation<span> and </span>University of California Scripps Institution of Oceanography<span> and built by </span>Levingston Shipbuilding Company<span> in </span>Orange, Texas.<span> Launched on March 23, 1968,</span><span> the vessel was owned and operated by the </span>Global Marine Inc.<span> corporation. </span>Glomar Challenger<span> was given its name as a tribute to the accomplishments of the oceanographic survey vessel </span><span>HMS Challenger</span><span>. Glomar is a truncation of </span>Glo<span>bal </span>Mar<span>ine.</span>