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First in Line

A work crew fits the boom to R/V Atlantis‘ new mizzen mast in this undated photograph from the Munro Shipyard in Chelsea, Mass. Atlantis was the first ship operated by WHOI and the first ship built specifically for interdisciplinary research in marine biology, marine geology and physical oceanography. Columbus Iselin, her first master and the Institution’s second director, and Henry Bigelow, the WHOI’s Founding Director, collaborated in her design and felt that speed was less essential than steadiness, silence and cruising range. The “A-boat” made 299 cruises over its career with WHOI and covered 700,000 miles for science.(Photo courtesy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Archives)