Foundational Strengths

In 1956 Columbus Iselin (right) signed on for a second tour of duty as WHOI’s director, succeeding Edward Smith (left). Iselin came to WHOI to captain the Institution’s first research vessel, the original R/V Atlantis, and was chief scientist collecting physical oceanography data on trans-Atlantic cruises. He is considered largely responsible for WHOI’s tradition of sea-going oceanography, its early leadership in physical oceanography, its wartime research efforts, and its ability to thrive through the post-war years. (Photo courtesy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Archives)