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It illuminated the Titanic, discovered
hydrothermal vents on the seafloor, even located a lost hydrogen
bomb. Now Alvin is ready for a new adventure: a major makeover.
After 45 years and 4,500 dives, America’s hardest working, deepest
descending submersible is slated for its biggest overhaul since 1973.
According to Anthony Tarantino of the Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution, which operates the Navy-owned vessel, the upgrades will
occur in two phases over several years, as funding permits. Those
changes (left) will let the nimble, small-truck-size sub, which
transports a pilot and two scientists, do more things better—like dive
four miles instead of 2.8, and survey 99 percent of the ocean bottom
versus 63. So don’t think of it as a midlife crisis; consider it Alvin 2.0,
retrofitted for 21st-century exploration. —Jeremy Berlin
Click illustration to enlarge.
Art: Don Foley. Photograph by Dan Fornari, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Posted by National Geographic Staff |
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