RV Blue Heron is a research vessel serving on the Laurentian Great Lakes.

She is owned by the University of Minnesota Duluth, and operated by the Large Lakes Observatory in partnership with the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System.

[1] The Blue Heron is the largest research ship owned by a university operating on the Great Lakes, and the second-smallest UNOLS vessel by LOA.

Its capabilities include water and sediment sampling and analysis, sensor launching and retrieval, and radar/sonar scanning.

[4] In addition to its research capabilities, the ship also hosts public science outreach and education events in Duluth and other communities.