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Chain

The U.S. Navy built Chain in the 1940s to rescue, tow, and salvage damaged ships in the Pacific. It came to WHOI in 1958 to support oceanographic research. After the vessel was outfitted with four large science laboratories, coring and trawling wire, and a hydraulic A-frame and winch, Chain logged 600,000 miles for science, including a global circumnavigation in 1970 and 1971. Chain‘s comfortable working space made it a favorite among oceanographers, including one who called Chain “a particulary sea-kindly and able vessel.” More photos of WHOI vessels, past and present, are featured in the 2012 WHOI wall calendar.(Photo courtesy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Archives)