This dataset consists of measurements of underway meteorology, navigation and sea surface hydrography from RRS Discovery cruise DY072 in the Central Atlantic. Data from DY072 were collected between 28 Feb 2017 and 02 April 2017 along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge near the Chain and Romanche Fracture Zones. Navigation data were collected using an Applanix POSMV system and meteorology and sea surface hydrography were collected using the NMF Surfmet system. Both systems were run for the duration of the cruise, excepting times for cleaning, entering and leaving port, and while alongside. This cruise formed the field component of NERC Discovery Science project ‘Passive Imaging of the Lithosphere Asthenosphere Boundary’ (PiLAB). The project aims to systematically image the entire length of an oceanic plate, from its birth at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, to its oldest formation on the African margin, in order to determine the processes and properties that define and strengthen a plate. The Discovery Science project was composed of Standard Grant reference NE/M003507/1 as the lead grant with child grant NE/M004643/1. The lead grant runs from 01 February 2016 to 31 January 2019 and the child grant runs from 01 February 2017 to 31 July 2019, and is led by Dr Catherine A Rychart of University of Southampton, School of Earth and Ocean Sciences. Child grant NE/M004643/1 is led by Professor Michael Kendall of University of Bristol, Earth Sciences. The underway discrete salinity samples data and the underway navigation, meteorology and sea surface hydrography data have been received by BODC as raw files from the RRS Discovery, processed and quality controlled using in-house BODC procedures and are available for download on the BODC website.