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Nation's Newest Research Vessel Visits Washington AreaThe 274-foot-long research vessel Atlantis, the nation's newest vessel and new support ship for the deep-diving three-person submersible Alvin, will visit Alexandria, Virginia, May 19-21 before it begins extensive research activities in the Pacific Ocean. Atlantis is the first ship in the U.S. academic research fleet built to conduct both manned and unmanned deep-sea exploration. A press briefing will be held aboard the vessel on Tuesday, May 20, at 10:00 a.m. to provide an overview of the ship, its capabilities and current and future ocean research activities. Scientists, ship crew members, and officials from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research will be available at the briefing for interviews. Reporters are invited to tour the ship at that time. Atlantis is one of the most sophisticated research vessels afloat, equipped with precision navigation, bottom mapping, and satellite telecommunications systems, and capable of supporting both submersible operations and oceanographic research worldwide. The submersible Alvin, which will be aboard the vessel during its visit, has gained international attention for exploration of deep-sea communities full of new species of life at so-called hydrothermal vents.
For more information contact: Cheryl Dybas, National Science Foundation, (703) 306-1070, cdybas@nsf.gov Editors: Background information and Betacam videotape/color photos of the ship, the deep-sea exploration tools to be operated from it, and undersea footage are available from Shelley Lauzon. Materials will also be available on-site.
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