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Road to Recovery

Crew members of R/V Atlantis prepare to head out in the Avon, a tender boat, to meet the human occupied submersible Alvin after a day-long dive to the seafloor. When they reach the sub, swimmers Raul Martinez (left) and Patrick Neumann (right) will attach safety lines to the sub’s payload basket, make any adjustments needed to secure the payload, and attach a towline so Atlantis can pull Alvin in for recovery. Ronnie Whims (center) will pilot the tender boat. This scene was shot during Alvin’s Science Verification Cruise in March 2014. The sub recently returned to scientific service after a 3-year overhaul—just in time for its 50th anniversary.(Photo by Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)