Specifications
| Built: | 1992 |
| Alvin Conversion: | 1997 |
| Ownership: | Title held by U.S. Navy; operated under charter agreement with Office of Naval Research |
| Length: | 274 ft. |
| Draft: | 19 feet (5.8 m) |
| Displacement: | 3,510 LT (long tons) |
| Beam: | 52.5 ft. |
| Speed: | 11.0 kts. cruising |
| Range: | 17,280 NM |
| Laboratories: | 3,517 sq. ft. |
| Gross Tons: | 3,200 T |
| Endurance: | 60 days |
| Fuel Capacity: | 267,540 gal. |
| Propulsion: | (x2) Diesel-electric, azimuthing stern thrusters |
| Bow Thruster: | (x1) Deployable azimuthing thruster/retracted tunnel thruster 825 Kw |
| Ship Service Generators: | (x2) 2100 kW 600 VAC (x2) 940 kW 600 VAC |
| Portable Van Space: | At least six 20 ft. vans |
| Winches: | Traction - 30,000' .681" FO or 9/16" wire Hydro - 33,000' 3-cond. EM or 1/4" wire |
| Heavy Equipment: | (x2) HIAB cranes 42,000 lbs. cap. (x2) Midships hydro boom |
| Sewage System: | Envirovac flushing system |
| Other Features: | Dynamic positioning system, ROV and submersible hangars, fully equipped machine shop, two rigid-hull inflatable rescue/work boats |
| Crew berths: | 22 |
| Science berths (Alvin cruise): | 24 |
| Science berths (non-Alvin cruise): | 34 |
Science
Acoustics
- Kongsberg EM124 Multibeam
- Knudsen 3260 Sub Bottom Profiler
- 3.5 kHz transducer Array
- 12 kHz transducer Array
- Kongsberg Sonar Synchronization System (K-Sync)
- Sonardyne USBL
- EK80 Mid-Water Echo Sounder
Current Profilers
Water Sampling and Sensing
- SeaBird TSG
- CTD Rosette (Standard WHOI Setup)
- XBT (Expendable Bathythermograph) probes (approx. 1 per day)
Meteorological Sensors
- Vaisala WXT520 Weather Transmitter series
- Biospherical Instruments Q-Series PAR Irradiance and Reference sensors
- Eppley SPP/PIR Shortwave/Longwave Infrared Radiation Sensors
Navigation & Communication
- Kongsberg Seapath 380 GNSS aided Inertial Navigation System
- Satellite Communication System
- Acoustic Monitoring System
- Science Seawater Distribution System
Offering a rare look at its form below the water line, Research Vessel Atlantis perches on blocks for routine maintenance in a shipyard in the Bahamas. (Photo by Robert Elder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)