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Twin Sisters

Despite some differences in appearance, these are actually sister ships. R/V Wecoma (left) and R/V Oceanus are both operated by Oregon State University on behalf of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System. Both were built to the same specifications in the 1970s, but Oceanus received a mid-life re-fit in 1994 that altered its profile. Until recently, Oceanus was operated by WHOI, but in January 2012, it went to Newport, Oregon, where it replaced the retiring Wecoma. Despite the change of ownership, WHOI is still active on Oceanus—seismologist J. Pablo Canales recently led a cruise on the ship to place instruments across the Juan de Fuca Plate and Cascadia subduction zone off the Northwest Coast of the U.S.(Photo by Dave DuBois, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)