PMV Valdez

Once anchored in San Francisco, Poseidon Marine Vessel (PMV) Valdez is an old, decaying oil tanker, that has played a pivotal role in Fallout 2, where it enabled the Chosen One to travel to the Enclave Oil Rig and save the world from destruction.

Despite the energy crisis, the oil tanker ran on oil, rather than fusion. It is probable that converting such a vessel was deemed too expensive (since as long as there was some oil, the payload would be valuable enough to justify the fuel cost) or simply that it was impossible due to the limitations of the fledgling fusion technology. However, while utilizing outdated technology as propulsion, the tanker was fully automated and equipped with a navigational computer secured by a door operated with a magnetic tanker FOB. Additionally, the ship was equipped with an IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) transponder, preventing Poseidon Oil defenses from sinking it.

Post-War history
After 2077, the tanker was disabled by the Enclave (security act 9837-334-27A), possibly as a means of preventing access to the Oil Rig, and the tanker FOB was moved to Navarro military base, while the NavCom Parts were sealed in Vault 13.

After its abandonment, various creatures have taken residence in the tanker (though some say they were deliberately placed there by the Enclave). These included centaurs, floaters and wanamingos. A band of vagrants eventually occupied the deck of the tanker, forcing the creatures to remain in the holds. The vagrants formed a community, using the vessel as their home, turning it into a simple settlement, selling various scavenged items to visitors.

The community was led by captain A. Ron Meyers, a Navarro technician gone AWOL, "a tough old military guy" (as described by Marc). The second community leader was Badger, the local hacker and electronics specialist. The vagrants themselves are a diverse collective of solitary wanderers, social outcasts and survivalists from across the wasteland. The vagrants emigrated to San Francisco for the tolerance and respect for secrecy there.

Behind the scenes
Exxon Valdez was the original name of an oil tanker owned by the former Exxon Corporation. It gained widespread infamy after the March 24, 1989 oil spill in which the tanker hit Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef and spilled an estimated 11 million gallons of crude oil.

The tanker was 300 m long, 50 m wide, and 27 m in depth (987 ft by 166 ft by 88 ft), weighing 30,000 tons empty and powered by a 31,650 shp (23.60 MW) diesel engine. The ship could transport a maximum of 1.48 million barrels (200,000 t) at a sustained speed of 16.25 knots (30 km/h) and was employed to transport crude oil from the Alaska consortium's pipeline terminal in Valdez, Alaska, to the lower 48 states of the United States.

Appearances in games
The tanker appears only in Fallout 2.

PMV Valdez