Detailed summary of geologic dives made by the submersible ALVIN in the Gulf of Maine. Report includes sampling procedures followed by the submersible, a listing and areal distribution of the samples collected, a comparison of the submersible to other sampling techniques, and the relationship of individual pilots to sampling success. Each dive is described in detail including representative bottom photographs and artist's concepts of outcrop regions.From 1983 until 1989 NOAA-NCEI compiled the NOAA-MMS Marine Minerals Geochemical Database from journal articles, technical reports and unpublished sources from other institutions. At the time it was the most extended data compilation on ferromanganese deposits world wide. Initially published in a proprietary format incompatible with present day standards it was jointly decided by AWI and NOAA to transcribe this legacy data into PANGAEA. This transfer is augmented by a careful checking of the original sources when available and the encoding of ancillary information (sample description, method of analysis...) not present in the NOAA-MMS database.