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| | 1. The final stages of recovering the deep-diving submersible Alvin to its support ship, the R/V Atlantis, involves attaching a tow line to the sub. Alvin technician Anton Zafereo tosses the line to a swimmer during a 2009 recovery operation near Costa Rica. The swimmer then grabs the hook, which has a float attached to it, and brings it out to the sub. Once Alvin is beneath the A-frame, the main lift line is attached and the sub is brought on board. (Photo by Lance Wills, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) | | 2. The R/V Atlantis steams through the Gulf of Nicoya off the coast of Puntarenas, Costa Rica, in February 2009. The research vessel and the Alvin submersible were in the area recovering ocean-bottom seismometers and other seafloor instruments. (Photo courtesy of James Policastro) | | 3. It doesn't happen often, but on this sunny September day, two of the Institution's research vessels—Knorr and Oceanus—were in port at the Iselin Marine Facility. (Photo by Jayne Doucette, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) | 4. After securing the lifting lines used to recover the human occupied vehicle (HOV) Alvin back to its support vessel Atlantis, deckhand Ronnie Whims dives back into the ocean. Alvin has made over 4,500 dives for the ocean science community. HOV Alvin is owned by the Navy, but is operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and is part of the National Deep Submergence Facility.
(Photo by Lance Wills, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) | | 5. Able-Bodied Seaman Mike Singleton (in silhouette) on board the R/V Knorr keeps lookout as Captain Kent Sheasley prepares to dock the ship at the WHOI pier following a month of work in Nuuk, Greenland. (Photo by Alexander Dorsk, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) | 6. The submersible Alvin prepares for a dive in September 2009. Built in 1964, the hardworking sub helped turn a sunless, freezing marine world into a new frontier. More than 4,500 dives to the seafloor have allowed scientists to discover hydrothermal vents, deep-sea minerals, and hundreds of previously unknown organisms. Learn more about Alvin with the interactive feature.
(Photo by Rod Catanach, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) | | 7. Leaving the chilly coast of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, the R/V Knorr heads for the warmer waters of Hawaii in July 2009. Built in 1969 and delivered to Woods Hole the following year, the R/V Knorr can carry a crew of 22 and a scientific party of 32 to sea for as long as 60 days. The hardworking ship has traveled more than a million miles—the equivalent of two round trips to the Moon or forty trips around the Earth. (Photo by Alexander Dorsk, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) | | 8. R/V Knorr entering Pearl Harbor, Hawaii last month after a transit from Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Knorr has since returned home to WHOI after having completed 13 legs in 9 months during ocean science cruise KN195 in the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. (Photo by Alexander Dorsk, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) | | 9. A fisheye view of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Long Core shot from the starboard hangar of the R/V Knorr. The wall of the hangar, the upper portion now supported by cantilevered trusses, was slotted to allow cores as long as 45 meters to be rigged safely inboard. The hangar modification was just a small part of the structural overhaul executed to prepare the R/V Knorr for the heavy array of purpose-built equipment developed to handle the new coring system. (Photo by Karen Johnson, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) | | 10. As the R/V Atlantis sails into port, it is seen from within R/V Knorr's A-frame while docked at San Diego in June of this year. Owned by the US Navy, the Atlantis and Knorr are the two largest ocean going vessels operated by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Check out where all the Institution's ships are right now. (Photo by Alexander Dorsk, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) | | 11. The R/V Knorr docked in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, in June 2009. (Photo by Alexander Dorsk, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) | | 12. A pollywog is a person that has not crossed the equator on a ship. Here a pollywog endures a shower of icewater during an equator crossing ceremony on the R/V Atlantis. Participants navigate a gauntlet of royalty, such as the Royal Doctor, Royal Barber and Royal Dentist, who prepare them for an audience with King Neptune, Davy Jones and other members of the Royal Court. If found worthy, pollywogs earn a certificate and the right to call themselves Royal Shellbacks. (Photo by Lance Wills, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) | Last updated: February 26, 2010 |
