HOV Alvin

The wreck of Capt. Robert F. Scott’s Terra Nova, as seen from the brow cameras of Alvin People often ask me if I have a single favorite dive in Alvin, is there a location or deep-sea environment, or experience that ranks as my number one. But there is never an easy answer to this question.…

“To be underwater, or not to be underwater? That is the question.” – Hamlet (If Shakespeare had worked in deep submergence) Which is better for scientific research, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) or a human-occupied vehicle (HOV)? The question has been oft debated at sea and in the lab. My own view has oscillated over…

Notes on the plan of Quest based on observations by the remotely operated vehicle help guide Alvin pilots over the wreck on the seafloor. (Photo by Ken Kostel, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) Alvin is perhaps best known to the public as the sub that first explored the wreck of Titanic. It might come as…