RV Moana Wave (AGOR-22), (former USNS Moana Wave (AGOR-22)), is the second ship of the Gyre-class oceanographic research ship built in 1973.^[1]

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RV Moana Wave
History
United States
Name	Moana Wave
Namesake	Moana Wave
Owner	United States Navy (1974–1999) Ahtna Inc. (1999–2011) University of São Paulo (2011–present)
Builder	Halter Marine Corporation
Laid down	10 October 1972
Launched	18 June 1973
Acquired	6 January 1974
Renamed	Alpha Crucis (2011–present)
Stricken	30 May 1999
Identification	IMO number: 7319008 MMSI number: 710000435 Callsign: PQ3082 Hull number: AGOR-22
Status	Operational in Santos
General characteristics
Class and type	Gyre-class research ship
Displacement	900 t (886 long tons), light 950 t (935 long tons), full
Length	165 ft 0 in (50.29 m)
Beam	36 ft 0 in (10.97 m)
Draft	15 ft 0 in (4.57 m)
Propulsion	2 × Caterpillar 398D diesel engines
Speed	11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Range	8,000 nmi (9,200 mi; 15,000 km)
Endurance	60 days
Capacity	500,000 barrels petroleum
Complement	10 mariners and 23 researchers

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The ship was laid down on 10 October 1972 and launched on 18 June 1973 by Halter Marine Corporation, New Orleans, Louisiana. Later acquired by the United States Navy on 6 January 1974 and later leased to the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics of the University of Hawaiʻi.^[2][3]

In February 1974, Moana Wave replaced the aging RV Teritu after joining RV Kana Keoki at their homeport at the Marine Expeditionary Center at Pier 18 in Honolulu Harbor. In 1977, the ship operated for six years out of Fort Lauderdale and Little Creek after reaching an agreement with Naval Electronics System Command. The agreement included the testing of Moana Wave with the newly developed Navy's Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System (SURTASS).^[3]

Moana Wave then underwent overhaul and refit which added a 9-m section towards her amidships in 1984. Returned to Honolulu later in September of that same year. Throughout 1987 and 1988, she had nearly 100,000 nautical miles (190,000 km; 120,000 mi) and 633 days at sea. The start of the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) project extended the ship's time at sea with its inaugural cruise in October 1988.^[3]

At 08:00 on 28 May 1999, Moana Wave departed Honolulu for her last voyage. In the early morning of 30 May, the lei-draped ship lowered her flag for the last time outside the university's Marine Center. She was later sold to Ahtna Inc. and overhauled again to be used in the underwater mapping and fiber optic cable industries.^[3]

In 2011, the University of São Paulo bought the ship and renamed as N/Oc Alpha Crucis.^[4] She is named after the star, Alphacrucis in the Crux constellation. Alpha Crucis was acquired through the Multiuser Equipment Program (EMU), one of the modalities of the Research Infrastructure Support Program in the State of São Paulo, maintained by FAPESP since 1995.^[5]