Arthur C. Bartlett

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution announces with great sorrow the death of former employee Arthur C. Bartlett on November 10, after a long battle with prostate cancer.  He was 71.

Art was born on April 27, 1938, in Plymouth, MA, to Warren C. and Mary (Benazzi) Bartlett. He graduated from Plymouth High School in 1956 and served in the U.S. Navy from 1961 to 1962. He attended the Massachusetts School of Radio and received his first class FCC license, and he was a licensed US Coast Guard radio electronics officer.

Art began his career at WHOI in 1965 as a lab assistant in the Alvin group.  In 1967, he transferred to Electronic Services as a research assistant.  In 1979 he was promoted to senior research assistant.  He became acting radio officer on the R/V Knorr from May – August of 1979.  He left in 1979 and went to work at the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory.  He was rehired at WHOI in 1984 as temporary radio officer aboard the R/V Atlantis II and left as a radio electronics officer aboard the R/V Knorr in 1986. Some highlights of career included working with other engineers to design, build, test, and deploy oceanographic instruments.

During his life, Art had the opportunity to travel to all parts of the world including Turkey, Pohnpei, Oman, Guam, and the Galapagos. He had many adventures but his most notable one that he referred to as his “fifteen minutes of fame” was the Alvin dive off the coast of Spain in 1966. A 20-megaton hydrogen bomb was lost as a result of a midair collision, and Art and two other men, under the guidance of the Navy, explored the bottom of the ocean in the 3-man Alvin submarine and found it. The process was arduous, dangerous, and took several weeks.

Art had a deep passion for duck hunting, fishing, motorcycling, and a thirst for always continuing to learn new things. Art was a friend of Bill W. Art, and was dearly loved by his family and abundant friends and will be sorely missed. They take comfort in knowing he is on to his next great adventure.

Art is survived by his loving wife Betty (Woodruff); daughter Jennifer (Brian); son Warren; and devoted step-children Karla (Allan), John, Lori, and David. Grandchildren include Camden, Sloane, Aaron, Adin, Ava, Spenser, and Isaac. He also is survived by one brother, Bruce.

A celebration of Art’s life will take place Thursday, November 19, at 12:00 noon in the Geneva Room at the University Presbyterian Church, 4540 15th Ave., NE, Seattle, WA. In lieu of flowers, Art asked that donations be made to the Salvation Army.

Some of the information for this obituary was taken from the Seattle Times.