At a cost of,[1] the Ocean Researcher V was built by Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Company, Kaohsiung, and launched in August 2012[2] for the Taiwan Ocean Research Institute, part of the National Applied Research Laboratories under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
On 9 October 2014 the ship departed from Anping Harbor in Anping District, Tainan for an eight-day cruise researching pollutants in the atmosphere and how they propagate.[3] Those aboard included researchers from the Academia Sinica, Taiwan Typhoon and Flood Research Institute, graduate students from National Taiwan Ocean University, National Yang Ming University, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology and National Cheng Kung University.
On the evening of 10 October 2014, due to Typhoon Vongfong, the ship ran onto a reef off the Penghu Islands. The ship listed and began to take on water, sinking at 8:11 pm. Most of the occupants boarded life-rafts to await rescue.
Eight rescue helicopters, two C-130 transport planes, four navy frigates and five patrol boats were sent to the accident scene.[4]
One researcher was pronounced dead upon arrival at hospital and another died when attempts to resuscitate him failed.[5] [6]