On August 4, 1964, the deep-submergence vehicle Alvin made its first untethered dive off the coast of Woods Hole, Massachusetts, reaching a depth of 39 feet. This marked the beginning of Alvin's legendary career as the world's most famous research submersible, which would go on to explore hydrothermal vents and the wreck of the Titanic.

Alvin's first dive, a modest beginning for a legendary vessel, symbolized the start of a new era in ocean exploration. The submersible's subsequent discoveries, from the bizarre ecosystems of the deep to the ghostly remains of the Titanic, have profoundly influenced contemporary literature and poetry, inspiring writers to imagine new worlds and new forms of life in the ocean's abyss.