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Wicked Wuzzle

In the late 1960s, after synthetic mooring lines proved unable to hold up to the wear and tear of waves and currents, the WHOI Buoy Group switched to using wire rope to rig its moorings. Unfortunately, wire rope brought a new problem: It tends to snarl, causing “wuzzles,” or kinked tangles, that can break the lines or damage instruments. In this image, Jim Gifford (left) and Bob Heinmiller look to see whether anything can be salvaged from an especially bad wuzzle. This week marks the 50^th anniversary of the Buoy Group’s first mooring. (Photo courtesy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Archives)