Alvin60
Since 1964, the human-occupied submersible Alvin has helped scientists expand human knowledge of the ocean and inspired countless more to learn more about the ocean.
This year, ALVIN TURNS 60, and we want YOU to help us celebrate all summer long.
Wish Alvin a
Happy Birthday!
Join us in commemorating Alvin’s 60th birthday by sharing a birthday message to Alvin on your social media channels with the hashtag #Alvin60. Posts on Instagram will also appear right here!
Milestones
1956
At a meeting of more than 100 scientists to discuss how to study the ocean depths, WHOI scientist Allyn Vine suggests building a submersible, prompting participants to draft a resolution that the U.S. should develop manned undersea vehicles.
1962
WHOI contracts with General Mills for $498,500 to build a small research submersible capable of diving to 6,000 feet (1,829 meters). Soon after, the newly formed WHOI Deep Submergence Group begins using the name Alvin, after Allyn Vine, for referring to the sub.
1964
Alvin is commissioned on June 5 in Woods Hole. Alvin's first pilot is William Rainnie, who takes the sub on a tethered test dive in Woods Hole Harbor on June 26 and conducts the first untethered dive on August 4 to a depth of 39 feet (12 meters).
1965
On July 1, Alvin makes a 7,500-foot (2,290-meter) dive, tethered and unoccupied, to obtain Navy safety certification. Pilot William Rannie makes the first deep dives-to 3,600 feet (1,097 meters) on July 16 and to 6,000 feet (1,829 meters) on August 2.
1966
The U.S. Navy calls in Alvin to help find and recover a hydrogen bomb that was accidentally dropped into the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain.
1968
On October 16, at the beginning of a dive off Cape Cod, support vessel Lulu's launch platform cables holding Alvin snap. The pilot and observers scramble out, but Alvin sinks more than 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) to the sea floor.
1969
Alvin is recovered after 10 months underwater, transported to WHOI, and repaired. Lunches left on board are soggy but not decayed. The discovery leads to new avenues of research on deep-sea microbes.
1971
Harvard biologist Ruth Turner becomes the first woman to dive in Alvin and returns with proof of the existence of a deep-sea species of shipworms.
1974
A new titanium personnel sphere means Alvin can dive to 12,000 feet (3,650 meters) and the sub departs on Project FAMOUS, a French-American expedition to investigate the Mid-Atlantic Ridge for the first time.
1977
Scientists take Alvin to the Galapagos Rift to explore previously unknown communities of deep-sea organisms that are sustained not by photosynthesis and sunlight, but by chemosynthesis and chemicals flowing from the seafloor. The discovery transformed conceptions of how and where life can exist.
1979
Alvin returns to the Galapagos Rift, where scientists discover the first black smoker hydrothermal vents.
1983
Scientists diving in Alvin in the Gulf of Mexico discover cold seep animal communities where organisms are sustained by chemical-rich fluids flowing gently from the seafloor.
1986
Alvin explores the wreck of the RMS Titanic with a small, remotely operated vehicle named Jason Jr. and returns with photographs of the ship that capture the public imagination.
1987
Scientists in Alvin explore whale falls, a newly discovered type of chemosynthetic community that forms around decaying whale carcasses on the seafloor.
1990
Cindy van Dover becomes the first and, so far, only female Alvin pilot.
1994
Alvin proves it can safely dive to 4,500 meters (14,764 feet), permitting it to reach 68 percent of the seafloor.
2000
Alvin explores the "Lost City" on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a recently discovered environment where seawater reacts with mantle rock to produce unusual geological structures and chemosynthetic communities.
2002
Alvin returns to the Galápagos Rift for the 25th anniversary of the discovery of hydrothermal vents. There it finds animal communities wiped out by fresh lava flows and newly colonized post-eruption communities thriving.
2004
Alvin celebrates its 4,000th dive in January and its 40th anniversary in June.
2007
WHOI biologist Tim Shank has a telephone conversation in Alvin with NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams in orbit aboard the International Space Station.
2010
Alvin dives at the Deepwater Horizon site to help scientists investigate impacts of the oil spill on deep-sea coral communities in the Gulf of Mexico.
2011
Alvin returns to Woods Hole to begin the first stage of a comprehensive overhaul that includes a new titanium personnel sphere and upgrades to almost all of the sub's systems.
2014
The newly upgraded Alvin resumes science operations and picks up where it left off: investigating impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Alvin marks its 50th year of operation.
2018
Alvin dives off the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast reveal a previously unknown deep-sea coral reef nearly 90 miles long. The sub competes its 5,000th dive during an expedition to the Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of California.
2020
Alvin returns to Woods Hole to begin the final phase of the upgrade that will extend the sub's maximum depth from 4,500 meters to 6,500 meters (about 4 miles), putting 99% of the seafloor within reach.
2022
Alvin makes its deepest dive to 6,453 meters, earns certification for its new depth range from the U.S. Navy, and is cleared to return to scientific research at the conclusion of a three-week NSF-funded science verification expedition.
2023
Scientists using Alvin discover extensive, ancient deep-sea coral reefs within the Galápagos Marine Reserve-the first of their kind ever to be documented inside the marine protected area since it was established in 1998. The reef supports a breathtaking mix of marine life.
Vehicle Tour
By the Numbers
DIVES
Equivalent to 1 dive a day for 14 years.
HOUR DIVES
But the sub carries an additional 72 hours of reserve
METRIC TONS
(45,000 LBS)
The equivalent of a fully loaded school bus.
METERS LONG
(23 ft)
The average length of an adult orca whale.
KG PAYLOAD
(1,500 LBS)
Includes crew, ascent/descent weights, ballast, and science equipment and samples. That's like being able to carry an adult Holstein cow.
CREW MEMBERS
One pilot and two scientific observers share the same 'cozy titanium sphere without a bathroom.
METERS TALL
(12 ft)
The same as a fully grown African elephant.
METERS DEPTH
(21,325 ft)
It takes Alvin about 2.5 hours to descend to its maximum depth.
Fun Facts
How did Alvin get its name?
Is there a bathroom in Alvin?
What about marine life?
How many people have been Alvin pilots?
What is the temperature in Alvin?
Has Alvin ever gotten stuck?
Has anyone famous ever traveled in Alvin?
How many pieces of Alvin remain from the original sub?
What deep sea creature was named after Alvin?
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