The Superfast campaign, echoing long standing ocean lithosphere community endeavors, was designed to understand the formation, architecture and evolution of ocean crust formed at fast spreading rates. IODP Expedition 335 "Superfast Spreading Rate Crust 4" (13 April to 3 June 2011) was the fourth scientific drilling cruise of the Superfast campaign to ODP Hole 1256D. The cruise aimed to deepen this basement reference site several hundred meters into the gabbroic rocks of intact lower oceanic crust.