Submersible Alvin

Alvin's official title is "Deep Submergence Vehicle."

Today, scientists are making exciting discoveries about the ocean floor, thanks to deep-sea submersibles such as Alvin. Operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, this three-person sub made its first dive in 1964. Since then, Alvin has made more than 3,700 dives to an average depth of 2,060 meters (6,785 ft).

Alvin has conducted a wide variety of research missions, from discovering giant tubeworms on the Pacific Ocean floor near the Galápagos Islands, to exploring the wreck of HMS Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean.

Alvin has met some amazing life on its travels, but so far it has not encountered one of the deep sea's most mysterious inhabitants — the elusive giant squid. However, Alvin once was attacked by a swordfish, which became trapped between two pieces of the sub's fiberglass skin. The fish was brought back to the surface and cooked for dinner!

Length: 23.3 feet

Height: 12 feet

Draft: 7.5 feet

Gross Weight:
35,200 pounds

Operating Depth:
14,764 feet

Cruising Speed:
0.5 knot

Maximum Speed:
2 knots

Max. Cruising Range:
3 miles

Payload: 1,500 pounds

Dive Duration:
6–10 hours

Life Support:
216 man-hours
(72 hours x 3 persons)

Complement:
1 pilot, 2 observers

Propulsion: Six reversible, electric thrusters