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Every Ship has a Story

This 75 foot-long ship—one of the shortest in WHOI’s history—led quite a diverse life. Balanus was constructed in the early 1940s in Winthrop, Mass., less than 100 miles from her future home in Woods Hole. After providing harbor transport during World War II under the name Little Sam, Balanus was acquired by WHOI in 1946 and was appropriately rechristened after a common genus of barnacles, which play a role in the troublesome biofouling of seagoing vessels. During the ship’s stint at WHOI, Balanus made 26 cruises, primarily assisting in studies of coastal currents before being sold to a Maryland fisherman in 1950.(Photo courtesy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Archives)