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El Austral and Lulu

El Austral, formerly RV Atlantis, at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) dock with RV Lulu. Atlantis was the first WHOI research vessel and the first ship built specifically for interdisciplinary research in marine biology, marine geology and physical oceanography. The “A-boat” made 299 cruises and covered 700,000 miles during its service from 1931-1964. In 1966, Atlantis was sold to Argentina, refurbished, and renamed El Austral. The 105-foot catamaran Lulu was the first support ship for the submersible Alvin. Lulu was built in Woods Hole from surplus minesweeping pontoons and supported Alvin operations for nearly 20 years. (Photo by George Hampson, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)