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A Full Deck

The research vessel Neil Armstrong heads to the Ocean Observatories Initiative Coastal Pioneer Array about 90 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. Every six months, WHOI engineers, scientists, and crew travel to the array to “turn” it: They pull all of its components out the water and replace them with clean, repaired, fully charged ones, such as those visible here on the deck. But safely wrangling mooring components that weigh tens of thousands of pounds is no easy feat. It takes skill, experience, and careful coordination between scientists and crew, often using the Armstrong’s towering A-frame to hoist equipment into or out of the water. (Photo by Véronique LaCapra, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)