 Alvin in 1978, a year after first exploring hydrothermal vents. Alvin (DSV-2) is a 16-ton, manned deep-ocean research submersible owned by the United States Navy and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). The craft was built by General Mills' Electronics Group in the same factory used to manufacture breakfast cereal-producing machinery in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Named for its proponent Allyn Vine and not the famous chipmunk, the Alvin was commissioned on June 5, 1964. The submersible is launched from the deep submergence support vessel Atlantis, which is also owned by the U.S. Navy and operated by WHOI. The sub has taken 12,000 people on over 4,000 dives, to observe the lifeforms that must cope with super-pressures and move about in total darkness. Download high resolution version (930x1197, 99 KB)Alvin submersible Photo credit: NOAA Capture date: August 1978 Source: NOAA Photo Gallery > NURP Album > Image ID nur07549 Description: ALVIN in 1978, a year after first exploring hydrothermal vents. ...
Download high resolution version (930x1197, 99 KB)Alvin submersible Photo credit: NOAA Capture date: August 1978 Source: NOAA Photo Gallery > NURP Album > Image ID nur07549 Description: ALVIN in 1978, a year after first exploring hydrothermal vents. ...
The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations around the globe. ...
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is devoted to scientific research and science- and engineering-education leading to MS and PhD degrees in oceanography and related fields. ...
General Mills NYSE: GIS is a Fortune 500 corporation, mainly concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. ...
Nickname: City of Lakes Motto: En Avant Official website: http://www. ...
June 5 is the 156th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (157th in leap years), with 209 days remaining. ...
For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ...
It is said that Alvin research has been featured in nearly 2,000 scientific papers.
Alvin was designed as a replacement for bathyscaphes and other less maneuverable oceanographic vehicles. Its more nimble design was made possible in part by the development of syntactic foam, which is buoyant and yet strong enough to serve as a structural material at great depths. The three-person vessel allows for two scientists and one pilot to dive for up to nine hours at 4500 meters. The submersible features two robotic arms and can be fitted with mission-specific sampling and experimental gear. The hatch of the vessel is two-feet thick, and held in place by the pressure of the water above it (it is tapered, narrower inward), leaving it vulnerable on or near the surface with less pressure holding the hatch in place. Trieste A bathyscape or bathyscaphe is a self-propelled deep-sea diving submersible, consisting of a crew cabin similar to a bathysphere suspended below a float filled with a buoyant liquid such as petrol. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards and appeal to a wider international audience, this article may require cleanup. ...
Glass microspheres or microballoons are hollow spheres of glass, with a diameter of the order of one micrometer. ...
History
Early career Alvin, first of its class of DSV, was built to dive to 8000 feet. Each of the Alvin-class DSVs have different depth capabilities. However Alvin is the only one seconded to NOAA, the others staying with the USN.
Sinking In June 1969, the Alvin, aboard the NOAA tender ship Lulu was lost as it was being transported, with three crew aboard.
The Lulu, a vessel created from a pair of decomissioned US Navy pontoons with a support structure added on, carried Alvin on a steel cable. The cable snapped with her three crewmembers aboard and the hatch open. As there is no deck underneath the Alvin, situated between the pontoons, it hit the water and rapidly started sinking. The three crewmembers managed to escape, however the sub sank in 2000 feet of water. The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ...
A pontoon boat, like this small pleasure boat, typically floats and balances by means of two pontoons oriented in the direction of travel. ...
Three months later, in September 1969, the Aluminaut, another USN DSV, secured a line on the Alvin, and it was hauled up. It was so intact, that a bologna sandwich left aboard was perfectly preserved. This incident led to a more comprehensive understanding of decay in the depths of the ocean. Subsequently, this led to arguments against the dumping of waste in the deep ocean.
Despite the condition of the sandwich, Alvin required an extensive overhaul to replace virtually everything inside and outside of the submarine.
Post-sinking career In 1973, Alvin's pressure hull was replaced by a newer titanium pressure hull, that extended its maximum depth to 15,000 feet. 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1973 calendar). ...
Black smokers In 1977, during an expedition lead by Robert Ballard and sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Alvin discovered and documented the existence of black smokers around the Galapagos Islands. Existing at a depth of more than 2000 meters, black smokers emit a strong flow of black, smoky water, superheated to over 400°C. Alvin was able to sample the water from a black smoker, discovering that the pH balance is roughly 2.8, or equal to the acidity of household vinegar. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...
Dr. Robert Duane Ballard (born June 30, 1942) is a famous oceanographer most noted for his work in underwater archaeology. ...
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a scientific agency of the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere. ...
A black smoker in the Atlantic Ocean Black smokers are a type of hydrothermal vent found on the ocean floor. ...
NASA Satellite photo of the Galápagos archipelago. ...
A degree Celsius (°C) is a unit of temperature named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701-1744), who first proposed a similar system in 1742. ...
PH or ph or pH or Ph may be: pH, a measure of acidity (chemistry) Ph, a phenyl ring (organic chemistry) PH, the ISO country code of the Philippines (see . ...
Vinegar is often infused with spices or herbs—as here, with oregano. ...
Exploration of RMS "Titanic" Most famously, Alvin was involved in the exploration of the wreckage of RMS Titanic in 1986. Launched from her support ship RV Atlantis II, she carried Dr. Robert Ballard and two companions to the wreckage of the great liner. RMS Titanic sank while attempting to transit the North Atlantic Ocean, after striking a large iceberg in 1912. RMS Titanic was the second of a trio of superliners intended to dominate the transatlantic travel business. ...
Dr. Robert Duane Ballard (born June 30, 1942) is a famous oceanographer most noted for his work in underwater archaeology. ...
1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...
Alvin, accompanied by a small remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) named Jason Jr., was able to conduct detailed photographic surveys and inspections of the Titanic's wreckage. Many of the photographs of the expedition have been published in the magazine of the National Geographic Society which was a major sponsor of the expedition. Flag of the National Geographic Society The llNational Geographic Society was founded in the United States on January 27, 1888, by 33 men interested in organizing a society for the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge. ...
Recent overhauls Over the years, the Alvin has undergone many overhauls to improve its equipment and extend its lifetime. The most recent overhaul was during 2001; in which, among other equipment, motor controllers and computer systems were added. 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...
A possible replacement? On August 6, 2004, the National Science Foundation announced the creation of a new Human Occupied Vehicle (HOV) to replace the aging Alvin. The new vehicle is designed to dive deeper (up to 6500 meters as opposed to Alvin's 4500) and use new scientific equipment. The fate of the Alvin when this new submersible arrives is unknown. Many say it will be either placed in a museum or be used to explore relatively shallow waters. August 6 is the 218th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (219th in leap years), with 147 days remaining. ...
It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in...
The logo of the National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. ...
Contrary to a BBC article (see below) published in October 2004, the Alvin has not yet been retired from service.
See also An oceanic ridge is an underwater mountain range, usually formed by plate tectonics. ...
A black smoker in the Atlantic Ocean Black smokers are a type of hydrothermal vent found on the ocean floor. ...
A hydrothermal vent A hydrothermal vent is a fissure in a planets surface from which geothermally heated water issues. ...
This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...
A submersible is a type of underwater vessel with limited mobility, intended to remain in one place during use. ...
RMS Titanic was the second of a trio of superliners intended to dominate the transatlantic travel business. ...
Dr. Robert Duane Ballard (born June 30, 1942) is a famous oceanographer most noted for his work in underwater archaeology. ...
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute is a soft money institution founded in 1930, whose mission is to extend our understanding of how the oceans in all there parts function. ...
The NR-1 Deep Submergence Craft is a unique US Navy nuclear-powered ocean engineering and research submarine. ...
Woods Hole is a census-designated place and village within the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, at the extreme southwest corner of Cape Cod, Marthas Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. ...
Titanic is an Academy Award winning 1997 dramatic film released by 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures. ...
Ghosts of the Abyss is a 2003 documentary made by filmmaker James Cameron after his Oscar winning film Titanic. ...
James Cameron from Ghosts of the Abyss James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian film director noted for his action/science fiction films, which are often extremely successful financially. ...
The German battleship Bismarck is probably the most famous warship of the Second World War. ...
External links
References - Book: "Water Baby: The Story of Alvin" by Victoria A. Kaharl
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