Alvin design drawings, 1970s-1980s

The Operational Scientific Services collection consists of administrative, contractual, technical and scientific records of Alvin and other deep submergence vehicles and equipment operations and those of other departments within the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, including the Media Relations Office, Marine Operations, and the Port Office.

The collection includes material about Aluminaut , which had been planned to be WHOI’s first submersible and Lulu , built as Alvin’s first transport ship, as well as correspondence and reports concerning the submersibles Seacliff and Turtle .

The DSV Alvin collection includes material in many formats-- correspondence, technical information, scientific data, public relations materials, and drafts of publications. It spans the period 1949 to 1998. Because of the variety of information and the expectation the collection will continue to grow, the material was grouped in series under the following headings: Administration; Committees and Policies; Scientific Data. A provenance and processing note was added to each series description to clarify how each was accessioned and processed.