Research Vessel Atlantis

R/V Atlantis. Image courtesy of Kenneth Kostel, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Download larger version (jpg, 287 KB).

The research vessel (R/V) Atlantis is owned by the U.S. Navy and operated by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution  (WHOI) as part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System  (UNOLS) fleet. Atlantis is the only ship outfitted to launch and service the human-occupied submersible, Alvin , and as such, the ship travels the world, going where ever Alvin is needed for research.

R/V Atlantis is also equipped to support general oceanographic research, with more than 3,500 square feet of laboratory space for dedicated use by the onboard science party as well as a variety of permanent tools to observe and advance understanding of our ocean, including precision navigation systems, a suite of scientific instrumentation, a multibeam system for seafloor mapping, and satellite communications. Three winches, three cranes, a machine shop, and specialized work spaces allow the ship to operate Alvin and other underwater exploration vehicles.

Atlantis is part of a class of similar Navy-owned research vessels designed and built by Halter Marine of Pascagoula, Mississippi, that include R/V Thomas G. Thompson, operated by the University of Washington; R/V Roger Revelle, operated by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography; and NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown, operated by NOAA.