Month: May 2024 Page 1 of 2

5/25/2024 – 5/28/2024

At the time this blog was posted I had already been home for a couple of days, but I realized even though only three days were left between my last blog post and our arrival in New York City I still needed to finish telling my story. 

Saturday 5/25, was spent putting my carpentry skills to work. I had to fix a sliding door with a bad roller and ceiling tiles that fell out of the ceiling in the Tech Shack.

Monday 5/27, we arrived in Long Island Sound and spotted land for the first time since Cape Town. Although it was very foggy all day, we could barely see the land and eventually it started to rain. We spent the day cleaning the Gun Shop, Tech Shack, Rack Room, and cleaned an air gun for display. Visitors will be coming to the ship a few days after we dock so everything needed to look polished and clean.

The morning of Tuesday 5/28, the fog finally lifted and we were able to see the magnificent New York City skyline in the distance. That morning we rendezvoused with the pilot boat and began making our way to the Hudson River. As we passed under the Verrazano Bridge, connecting Brooklyn to Staten Island, and were able to see Manhattan’s imposing skyscrapers and the beautiful Statue of Liberty in the distance getting ever closer I started to get emotional. At that moment, I found myself thinking about the countless number of people who have made this same journey up the Hudson River in search of a better life in the United States of America to include some of my ancestors. After passing the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, we went under the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge to finally arrive at our destination, the Brooklyn Navy Yard. 

I am grateful for the opportunity to be aboard the R/V Marcus G. Langseth during this transit and would like to thank all of my mentors and crew who were able to teach me about being a marine technician and about life at sea. To anyone that has been following my journey and may be interested in this line of work, I encourage you to look into and apply for the UNOLS-MATE at Sea Technical Internship Program.

Thank you so much for following my UNOLS-MATE experience!

Hey everyone, Ray here giving you my final blog post about my transit across the Atlantic Ocean on the R/V Marcus G. Langseth. This past week has been a time of deep reflection as I consider the next steps of my career. I feel that it is important to convey just how much of an experience this internship as been, and how many doors it really opens up for me in the future. Today around 9:30 A.M, our ship anchored 10 nautical miles off the coast of New York. Tomorrow we will set sail into Brooklyn Navy Yard after the harbor pilot boards our boat, and directs us through the channels. After that, International Customs will come on board to verify our passports and we are then free to hit the gangway. Along this journey I have came across a lot of mentors who are smart, hardworking, and genuinly great people. One of these mentors I met is Khalif. Khalif is an intelligent muslim, I call him Habeeb. Khalif wasted no time in acquainting me with life at sea and opening my eyes to various offshore career paths. Khalif taught me about valuable life lessons and principles, and he portrayed a role of the big brother I never had. I also found out he lives about 2 miles away from me. With how big the ocean is, the world is still so small.

Thank you for tuning into my blog posts on this adventure! 

5/18/2024 – 5/24/2024

When this blog is posted we will be 3 days away from NYC. This adventure so far has been one of the hardest and most rewarding educational experiences of my life. But, with our final destination looming over the horizon the consensus is the same amongst the entire crew, we are ready to see land!

The morning of Saturday 5/18, was spent inventing all of the bad air gun parts and securing them on pallets. These parts will be either repaired and used on future seismic missions or sold for scrap.

The highlight of Sunday 5/19, was that it was the calmest day that we have had the entire transit thus far. To be far, we have been very fortunate to have not much bad weather on our transit, but that day the water was like glass. The water was so clear and so calm that I was able to see Atlantic flying fish before they leap out of the water and the shimmering pillars of sunlight that faded away into the seemingly endless void that is the Atlantic Ocean’s depths.

The morning of Monday 5/20, was filled with the science team working together and cleaning the entire Main Lab space. The lab was in need of a “spring cleaning” and we were all able to make the lab look better than it has looked in a long time.

Believe it or not, Monday was also my birthday! I still went to work and had all of my daily duties to perform, but I don’t think I could have asked for a better gift than the incredible sunset that night.

Tuesday 5/22 was spent working in the Rack Room. This is where all of the computer systems scientific, navigational, networking, ect are stored. I was tasked with stripping wires, attaching connectors, and connecting them to their respective terminals. I also attempted to organize the maze of networking cables. That was a real challenge!

Stay tooned for my final blog as we get closer to NYC.

Hey everyone, Ray here, giving you an update on my third week across the Atlantic Ocean on the R/V Marcus G. Langseth. As we move farther away from the equator and closer to New York, the temperature and humidity have dropped dramatically. For my third week, I have been assigned a multitude of tasks. One of my tasks this week was to work with Josh, our chief source mechanic, to test the continuity of the wires within the octoblocks of the arrays and trace them back to our junction box while verifying our resistance with a multimeter. Our vessel has four arrays that trail hundreds of meters off the stern via large cables, (streamers).These arrays consist of various components that transmit the data collected by the hydrophones from the sound waves emitted by the air guns, which reflect off the ocean floor. Within the arrays, there are components called octoblocks. Essentially, an octoblock acts as a sensor placed along the array to receive different signals such as DI/PI (Depth Indication and Pressure Indication), GPS signals, NFHS (Near Field Hydrophone Signals), and other types of data being collected.
Another task I have been assigned is testing the strength and continuity of our large collection of Ethernet cables, which seem to have accumulated into the thousands over time. I used a network and cable tester that also measures the length of the cables by measuring their resistance. After a long workday, we are always exhausted but are still eager to enjoy the sunsets every evening on the bow of the vessel. Almost every sunset on the ocean is a humbling experience, to say the least.

Here are some pictures of my week; stay tuned for my final blog post in 7 days!

Retrospect on the deck of the R/V Langseth, with the vast expanse of intense blue of the ocean stretching out before me, I can’t help but reflect on the journey that led me here. This Marine Technical internship with the US Academic Research Fleet, in collaboration with Columbia University, has been a long-awaited milestone in my career. Months of preparation and hard work have culminated in this moment.

As we learn daily maintenance of the scientific and navigational systems that are crucial for seismic research, I feel a deep sense of accomplishment and gratitude. Every task, no matter how small, contributes to the larger mission of scientific discovery. Being at sea, surrounded by the relentless rhythms of the ocean, I find a sense of peace and purpose.

It’s hardly appropriate to keep saying …but sometimes I really can’t believe that I’m here. If you really think about it, how many actual times can you send your family this when they want something. Kidding, I love you idiots. 

It goes without saying that I’m a part of something very unique. And without the support of my home university and the various programs offered to me, I would have never been able to have the financial freedom to leave for a transcontinental internship at-sea or weeks on end. I have so much gratitude for that – to all you out there at the University of Southeast Ketchikan Maritime Center and the folks at the STEP Grant offices, THANK YOUUU! I have never felt more supported as a student and I wanted to show how thankful I truly am. (Special shoutout to Professor Boss, Professor LaBarge, Lisa, Angie, Jensen, and Deepwater Bill!)

With the support and guidance of the UAS Maritime Center, this experience was able to happen and is more than just a professional achievement; it is a personal journey of growth and learning. I think of the words of great authors who have inspired me along the way, and I realize that this experience is a chapter in my own story, filled with challenges, triumphs, and the boundless curiosity that drives me forward. And this doesn’t come without failure. To thrive, we must sustain the internal human operation – because who you are when things aren’t going great…matters a great deal. “We are what we pretend to be, so we must be very careful what we pretend to be.” (Vonnegut)

This trip has been a significant retrospective and introspective – on many things beyond academia. I think that’s why it has so much meaning, it’s taught me a lot about myself and who I get to be. As the days pass and we continue our research, I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of something so meaningful. And as I look ahead, I know that this experience will shape the path I take in the future, guiding me toward new horizons and endless possibilities. And if I’m lucky, it’ll be the first step I ever took to make the biggest life change that I never thought possible in a three-dimensional state of mind.

Here’s to the 3rd week on the road…

-Rachael

5/11/2024 – 5/17/2024

The last few days have been busy, which is very usual and a bit repetitive at the same time. Can you say DigiBirds, Air Guns, and inventorying equipment over and over and over again?

Since there was a lot of repeated work this week, I want to take this week’s blog in a different direction. The weather has been really hot and humid, but the waves are rather calm. I’m sure many of you know about “slimy pollywogs” and crossing the equator!!! Well we crossed it and Sunday afternoon we had our ceremony. It was a riot. We all received a subpoena to appear before Neptune, but first we had to ask the “dolphins” over the side of the ship for directions to Neptune (on the muster deck). Then we had to get into these makeshift boats and paddle our way to the muster deck. But apparently, we were all swallowed by a whale and had to crawl our way out of the mouth of the whale (two tarps connected and filled with water and soap). It was messy and so much fun. Then we finally made it to Neptune where the charges against us were read aloud for all to bear witness. 

The first charge was the same for all of us, but the 2nd and 3rd were written specifically for each individual. I do believe they got mine pretty spot on!! Check these out…

CHARGE I:   In that Colton Borresen now sailing with the ship MARCUS G. LANGSETH, has hitherto willfully and maliciously failed to show reverence and allegiance to our Royal person, and is therein and thereby a vile land-lubber and a slimy pollywog.

CHARGE II:   It is inconceivable to even mention. It has been rumored in the mud flats, deltas and river estuaries that this park bench warmer has been masquerading as an honorable shellback by his unrighteous activities of; SCUBA Diving, Training Dolphins (as if they need to be trained), studying for Marine Biology and other unholy acts of a landlubber. As all honorable shellbacks know, only one who has been inducted into our depths, has sailed the seven seas, has seen the green light at sunset or who has crossed the equator can truly understand the denizens of the waves.

CHARGE III:   That this lounge-lizard has been doing his gym time while working as he has been using the excuse of forgetting tools to be able to run the stairs to the PSO tower multiple times a day as an honorable shellback waits in the sun, far from the sea. In addition this chicken chaser has failed to crack a smile or giggle while in my domain.

The whole thing was a riot and the effort that the crew put into it was greatly appreciated.

Also, I had another incredible moment this week. I found out that my Pop Pop (going to be 91 in October) sailed with Marcus G. Langseth in 1956 when both were Junior Scientists. Pop got goosebumps and cried when my parents told him the name of the vessel I was on. Now Pop is digging through his archive of memories and pictures and recalling so many great times long forgotten.  I have now seen pictures that Pop took of Marcus G. Langseth when they were young Junior Scientists in 1956 aboard the (chartered) vessel Theta. Such a small and incredible world.

I hope you have enjoyed an honest and true taste of life aboard the R/V Marcus G. Langseth.

Stay tuned for my next posting as we get ever closer to NYC.

Hey everybody, Ray here giving you an update on my second week across the Atlantic Ocean on the R/V Marcus G. Langseth. This week has been extremely hot, with humidity ranging from 80%-90%, very sticky! As an intern I’ve been assigned to multiple tasks to complete this week. One of my tasks was to troubleshoot and calibrate these semi-autonomous devices called “digibirds” or digital birds. These digibirds are placed in the water which are being guided by a long rope connected to a big winch called streamers. In between the digibirds, there are devices called hydrophones that are also attached to the streamers. The hydrophones main job is to receive soundwaves from the air guns that are being fired and reflected off the ocean floor, or even layers beneath the crust. The digibirds are in charge of making sure the hydrophones are at the correct depth to interpret the sound waves being emitted. The data is then transmitted back to our ship in order to create maps and undergo further analyzations. Some of the features that can be determined from this data include subsurface structures, seabed composition, and other types of geological formations. However, overtime these birds can become misaligned or may require maintenance such as replacing batteries, motors, or compasses. This is one reason why calibrating and troubleshooting is so important! Another task I have been assigned to is collecting data on our gravimeter and entering it into our historical data spreadsheet. A gravimeter is a device used to measure variations in Earth’s gravitational field, also providing information on subsurface features and geological structures beneath the ocean floor. Every day we are using the gravimeter to precisely map these gravitational fluctuations across the Atlantic Ocean. By using a multimeter to verify amps and voltage values, we can guarantee the reliability and accuracy of our data so we can then draw conclusions on the ocean’s geological characteristics and even potential hidden features beneath its surface! 
One last thing I’d like to add is that everyone on this vessel are hardworking people. Especially in this heat and humidity, the fact that we can complete so many jobs and tasks is truly remarkable.

Stay tuned for my next update on our transit!

Josh, our Cheif Source Mechanic is also a great welder!