In operation with Texas A&M from 2012 to 2023,[1] it originated as the USNS Contender (T-AGOS-2), a Stalwart-class Modified Tactical Auxiliary General Ocean Surveillance Ship of the United States Navy.

[2] Stalwart-class ships were originally designed to collect underwater acoustical data in support of Cold War antisubmarine warfare operations in the 1980s.

The addition of cavitation-free propellers at speeds under three knots, the absence of reduction gears in the propulsion system, sound isolation of diesel generators, and vibration dampening of all machinery helped in the Contender's mission as an acoustical data sounder.

The new improvements have seen promising results for the aging training vessel, as she reached a maximum speed of 14 knots while in transit from her Mobile shipyard.

In June 2019, the TS General Rudder had another underway period before being transferred to the Beaumont Ready Reserve Fleet later that summer.