Cannon Salute

Senior Engineer Ben Allen fires a canon to herald the return of research vessel Knorr as it cruised into Woods Hole after the successful first test of the ship’s new “long-corer” system. The cannon was machined by Allen’s father, a WWII submariner, out of brass propeller shaft stock. The centuries-old tradition of firing cannons when a ship departs from and returns to home port signs of “greeting, respect, and readiness,” according to Rear Admiral (ret.) Dick Pittenger, WHOI’s former chief of Marine Operations has gone out of fashion in recent years, but WHOI staff thought this cruise was more than worth the celebration. (Photo by Richard F. Pittenger, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)