NOAA Ship Miller Freeman was built by the American Shipbuilding Company in Lorain, Ohio. Commissioned in 1974, the ship conducted fishery and living marine research. The ship normally operated off the U.S. Pacific Coast and in the Alaskan waters.

Miller Freeman was a 215-foot fisheries and oceanographic research vessel and one of the largest research trawlers in the United States. The ship's primary mission was to provide a working platform for the study of the ocean's living resources.

The ship was named after Miller Freeman (1875-1955), a publisher who was actively involved in the international management of fish harvests. The ship was launched in 1967, but not fully rigged until 1975. The vessel was again re-rigged in 1982. Miller Freeman was homeported at the Marine Operations Center—Pacific in Newport, Oregon. With a 12,578 nautical mile and 31-day endurance, Miller Freeman was capable of operating in any waters of the world.

Miller Freeman carried a complement of 7 NOAA Corps officers, 27 crew members, and a maximum of 11 scientists.