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When Colleagues Came Calling

Bedecked with pennants, the 105-meter R/V Yokosuka carrying the Shinkai 6500 submersible, operated by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), visited WHOI in 1994 after a joint expedition with WHOI scientists and R/V Knorr. One of only six deep-diving human-occupied vehicles in the world (including Alvin), Shinkai can reach 6,500 meters in depth. Both Yokosuka and Shinkai were undamaged by the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan March 11, 2011. Another Japanese research ship, the Chikyu, was not so fortunate. The Consortium for Ocean Leadership, representing 97 U.S. ocean research and education institutions, is sponsoring a relief fund for Japanese colleagues affected by the disaster. (Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)