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Roll On

On its return to Woods Hole in May, the research vessel Neil Armstrong could be seen emptying its anti-roll tank. The 500-gallon tank just below the bridge is fitted with baffles that slow the motion of the water inside and help counteract the rolling motion of the ship. As one of just a few large research vessels in the U.S. academic fleet that regularly ply the North Atlantic, the Neil Armstrong is often tasked with carrying scientists and engineers (and their equipment) into its stormy waters. This summer, the ship made two trips to sub-polar waters and made its first international port-of-call in Reykjavik, Iceland.(Photo by Dick PIttenger, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)