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The little ship that could

April 16, 2009

Since its delivery to Woods Hole on April 16, 2004, the coastal research vessel Tioga, shown here approaching the WHOI dock, has been used to collect water samples during harmful algal blooms (“red tides”) and oil spills; to recover autonomous “gliders”; to test and deploy new instruments; to tag right whales with behavior-monitoring instruments; and to provide an introduction to ocean sampling techniques for undergraduates and graduate students. The aluminum-hulled vessel, capable of cruising 20 knots, is nearly twice as fast as the ship it replaced, Asterias, and carries twice the weight. Scientists working in finicky New England weather with heavy, bulky equipment say both attributes are vital to their oceanographic research.(Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)