Old School

Crew members sweated out hoisting the anchor on the original research vessel Atlantis, which supported oceanographic research at WHOI from 1931 to 1964. Hauling the anchor was also time consuming: a complete up-and-down motion of the windlass (the ship’s winch) raised one link of chain, about 6 inches. Crew on the present-day R/V Atlantis rely on a hydraulic motor to raise the anchor, which weighs 2.5 tons, about the weight of a minivan.(Photo by Scott Bray, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)