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Early Diver

The deep submergence vehicle (DSV)  Aluminaut, shown at WHOI in 1961, was owned by the Reynolds Metals Co. (later Reynolds Aluminum) and operated briefly by WHOI in the early 1960s. In 1969, the Aluminaut helped retrieve the DSV Alvin from beneath 5,000 feet of water, one year after Alvin accidentally sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean when support cables snapped. The 80-ton sub also did contract work for the U.S. Navy and filmaker Jacques Cousteau, among others. After retirement, Aluminaut was donated to the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond, where it is on permanent display.(Photo courtesy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Archives)