Ships
In 2016, the research vessel Neil Armstrong replaced R/V Knorr, which the Institution has operated since 1970. Named for the American hero whose “small step” provided humanity with a new perspective on our planet, this vessel will carry on its namesake’s legacy of exploration. (Veronique LaCapra, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Researchers rely on sophisticated ships to get a firsthand look at the ocean environment and to carry their tools and instruments into it.
News & Insights
The spread of plastics and oil in Sri Lanka from the wreck of M/V X-Press Pearl
On May 20, 2021, the cargo ship M/V X-Press Pearl caught fire off the coast of Sri Lanka. The container ship was carrying 78 metric tons of a material known as plastic nurdles. What happens now?
Gift enables new investments in ocean technologies
A grant from the Coleman and Susan Burke Foundation has allowed WHOI to make crucial investments in remote technology that enhance research innovation at sea. New video monitors aboard the R/V Neil Armstrong will allow scientists and crew to video conference throughout the ship or with colleagues on shore. The Burke Foundation also funded three projects making use of novel data streams from the Ocean Observatories Initiative and field test a wave-powered platform that enables remote communications with autonomous underwater vehicles.
Working from Home: Dante Cusolito
With some mechanical skills, foam board, and an oceanographic mind, Dante Cusolito found the perfect way to spend his time at home
WHOI Honors the 50th Anniversary of the Moonwalk
50 years ago, Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on another world. Today the WHOI research vessel bearing his name carries on the legacy of exploration and discovery. R/V Neil Armstrong: one giant leap for the ocean.
News Releases
Deepest sediment core collected in the Atlantic Ocean
WHOI & Pangaea Logistics Solutions to advance ocean science data acquisition through Science RoCS program
WHOI engineers invent adjustable, compact marine winch, offering flexibility and improved vessel operations
Newest Navy Research Vessel Is Named Neil Armstrong
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WHOI in the News
Coast Guard, Woods Hole researchers rescue 13 from sinking vessel off Virginia coast
Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star completes 12-week deployment in Bering Strait region
Seattle-based Coast Guard icebreaker returns home after first mission in nearly 40 years to wintertime Arctic
UVM commissions $3.9 million hybrid electric/diesel vessel for Lake Champlain research
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From Oceanus Magazine
Adapt or retreat:
No solution is off the table to prepare for sea level rise in Woods Hole
Gift enables new investments in ocean technologies
A grant from the Coleman and Susan Burke Foundation has allowed WHOI to make crucial investments in remote technology that enhance research innovation at sea. New video monitors aboard the R/V Neil Armstrong will allow scientists and crew to video conference throughout the ship or with colleagues on shore. The Burke Foundation also funded three projects making use of novel data streams from the Ocean Observatories Initiative and field test a wave-powered platform that enables remote communications with autonomous underwater vehicles.
Students Get Their Sea Legs
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is known for its ocean-going research. But some incoming graduate students in the MIT-WHOI Joint Program may never have set foot a large research ship before. A new orientation cruise aboard the research vessel Neil Armstrong is introducing students to shipboard life and oceanographic research.
Illuminating the Ocean with Sound
WHOI’s new research vessel Niel Armstrong is equipped with an EK80 broadband acoustic echo sounder. Using a wide range of sound frequencies, it gives scientists the ability to identify and distinguish between…
The Quest for the Moho
For more than a century, scientists have made several attempts to drill a hole through Earth’s ocean crust to an interior layer of rock in Earth’s interior called the mantle.
Multimedia
Related Links
Research Vessel Atlantis
One of the most sophisticated research vessels afloat and home to HOV Alvin.
Research Vessel Knorr
Designed to accommodate a wide range of oceanographic tasks.
Research Vessel Tioga
A small, fast boat designed and outfitted for oceanographic work close to shore.
University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS)
A small, fast boat designed and outfitted for oceanographic work close to shore.
Acoustics 
Imaging 
Moorings & Buoys 
Ocean Modeling 
Ocean Observatories 
Underwater Vehicles