In October 1968, "Alvin" was being transported aboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution tender ship "Lulu". "Lulu" was a vessel created from a pair of decommissioned U.S. Navy pontoon boats with a support structure. While "Alvin" was being lowered over the side of "Lulu" on 16 October 1968, two steel cables snapped with three crew members aboard and the hatch open. Situated between the pontoons with no deck underneath, "Alvin" hit the water and started to sink rapidly. The three crew members managed to escape, but "Alvin" sank in of water.