Lassoing Alvin

Two crew members of the research vessel Atlantis, Ordinary Seaman Ronnie Whims, left, and Able-Bodied Seaman Patrick Neumann, acted as “swimmers,” assisting the recovery of the submersible Alvin after its first research dive after a major upgrade that took 39 months. They are about to attach a specially made main line to the metal lifting T-ring atop Alvin to hoist the sub back on deck. All through the hiatus, crew members practiced their skills in an indoor pool or at a beach when ashore, said Capt. A.D. Colburn. When the ship was in warm waters off Barbados, they conducted full training exercises around a float, pretending it was Alvin.(Photo by Lonny Lippsett, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)