Moon pools also provide shelter and protection so that even if the ship is in high seas or surrounded by ice, researchers can work in comfort rather than on a deck exposed to the elements.

[3] A moon pool also allows divers, diving bells, ROVs, or small submersible craft to enter or leave the water easily and in a more protected environment.

The Hughes Glomar Explorer was a 50,500 long tons (51,300 t), 619-foot-long (189 m) ship constructed by the United States in the early 1970s for the recovery of a sunken Soviet submarine from the Pacific seabed.

The design of the ship was broadly inspired by oil drilling ships and included a moon pool measuring 199 by 74 by 65 feet (61 m × 23 m × 20 m), into which the submarine was to be recovered, with the bottom of the moon pool then closed off by two gates that would allow the recovered vessel to be examined under cover and in dry conditions.

Moon pools are becoming increasingly used on longline fishing vessels to allow for hauling of the gear in worse weather conditions.