Ready for Duty

On April 23, 2011, R/V Atlantis came out of dry-dock in Jacksonville, Florida, with a fresh coat of paint and a full schedule of science cruises. This picture was taken just before the massive A-frame used to deploy and recover Alvin was re-installed on the stern that, because it is so heavy, could only be attached once Atlantis had been refloated. Alvin is currently undergoing a complete overhaul and upgrade, but that won’t stop Atlantis from continuing its work as a WHOI-operated UNOLS research vessel, with upcoming cruises to study geologically active regions of the Pacific and to complete a geochemical survey of the North Atlantic.(Photo by Christopher Morgan, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)