Later that year, on 11 November 1956, Murre II suffered minor damage due to a blow-back in her engine room furnace which caused an explosion and fire.

[1] In her first assignment in her new role as a multipurpose oceanographic research vessel, Murre II conducted a preliminary survey of Auke Bay.

[1] As she continued her work, an estimated 80 percent of Southeast Alaska's first recorded identifications of marine zooplankton came from samples taken by scientists aboard Murre II.

[1] In May 1964 a crankshaft broke in one of Murre II's main engines, forcing her to cut short her monthly oceanography cruise – in which plans had called for her to conduct both an oceanographic survey of Traitor's Cove and midwater trawling operations – and return to port.

[1] Repairs took several months, during which the USFWS research vessel Heron took over her duties, but Murre II eventually returned to her oceanographic operations.

[1] On 3 October 1970, a major reorganization occurred which formed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the United States Department of Commerce.

[1] According to NOAA, many Auke Bay Laboratory scientists described Murre II as "the ideal vessel for Southeast Alaska coastal operations – supporting research efforts and moving people and supplies when and where needed,"[1] and she had completed "35 years of distinguished service supporting fisheries research in Southeast Alaska waters"[1] at the time of her decommissioning.

[1] After NOAA sold her, Murre II eventually became the property of a community college in Poulsbo, Washington, which used her on Puget Sound as a training vessel for scallop draggers.