Takes a Lickin’

This vehicle’s unassuming appearance belies the fact that it was instrumental is some of the most important undersea discoveries: finding hydrothermal vents and chemosynthetic deep-sea life in 1977 and the wreck of Titanic in 1985. ANGUS (Acoustically Navigated Geophysical Underwater System) was a pioneering deep-sea search and survey system developed at WHOI. Equipped with powerful strobe lights and 35-millimeter cameras, it was lowered to the depths on a cable and towed by a ship. ANGUS’s 12-foot, 2-ton steel frame was designed to withstand collisions with seafloor rocks. Painted on its side (not visible) was the motto: “Takes a Lickin’ But Keeps on Clickin’.” (Photo courtesy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Archives)