The maiden voyage from Norway to home port in Taiwan took three months and was manned by a crew of 19 under the leadership of some eminent professors. The return voyage was also used to conduct a series of tests with the ship's new equipment.
這艘新研究船花了國科會六百廿萬元美金。國科會副主任委員王紀五帶領九位教授到挪威卑爾根的造船廠接船，好幾位教授在參觀時忍不住讚嘆：「Love Boat !」