Page 20: of Marine Technology Magazine (April 2014)

Case Study: Alvin

S cientists gave the rebuilt Alvin submarine two thumbs up after fi eld-testing the nation’s only hu- man-occupied deep-sea research vehicle for the fi rst time after a major $42-mil- lion overhaul that dramatically upgrad- ed the sub’s capabilities. “We’ve tested the core functions of the new Alvin, and we believe we have a great new tool for the scientifi c commu- nity,” said Harvard University scientist

Peter Girguis. He was chief scientist of an expedition that ended March 26 in which scientists and pilots put the new sub through its paces in a series of dives under real fi eld conditions. Their objec- tives were to assess the upgraded sub’s new capabilities, to learn how to use them to the best advantage, to identify bugs, and to troubleshoot them.

The Alvin upgrade was funded by the

National Science Foundation (NSF) and augmented with some private support from Woods Hole Oceanographic In- stitution (WHOI). In January 2014, its upgrade was complete and the sub was certifi ed by the U.S. Navy to return to operations. “Alvin is functionally a new vehicle, and, before returning it to a full research schedule, we wanted to test the vehicle, fi gure out how best to use its new fea- tures, and work out any bugs in order to make Alvin‘s transfer back to science operations more seamless,” said Gir- guis. He is chair of the Deep Submer-

Upgraded Alvin Sub Passes

Scientifi c Sea Trials

Atlantis crew members Patrick Neumann and Allison Heater assist in the recovery of Alvin following a test mission. They attach safety lines to support Alvin’s payload basket before it is lifted from the water.

All photos courtesy of Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 20 MTR

April 2014

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