July 2025 – Marine Technical Internship Blog

It is currently day 16 aboard the USCG cutter Healy! I am constantly surprised by the vessel and its capabilities, as well as the incredible crew that staffs her. The Healy is a coast guard ship where many freshly enlisted members come to train. Being such a large ship, with a variety of missions going on at any one moment, it makes for a new environment each day. On the back deck, you can see a rainbow of hardhats- each of the different colors have a different meaning! The green hats are those with the least experience, and as you gain knowledge and skills, you move up to a blue, yellow, and eventually a white hat. In this photo, you can see a yellow hat teaching the other deck members how to tie a knot. Seamanship skills such as knot tying, splicing, and line handling are of the utmost importance to work on the deck. This ensures safety of personnel and also the effectiveness of the scientific mission.

We arrived on station for our next evolution right as our night shift began. Science waits on no man, so we got to work immediately. I am very excited to finally get some science action on the night shift! Though, honestly, you could never tell that this photo was taken at midnight- it is all sunshine all the time in the arctic.

For a mooring recovery, there is an order of operations that we more or less follow each time. Every instrument package varies slightly, but it is the same process.

Once the scientists locate the mooring via a GPS transponder attached to the top float, the ship cuts ice in the area for several hours. The science crew then uses a pinger to communicate to the mooring release. Since the ship has other echosounders running at all times, it is the responsibility of the marine technician on shift to power down our multibeam and ADCP devices. This ensures that no interference will effect the mooring release. Once the anchor is released, the floats on the top of the mooring line drag it to the surface.

At this point, the ship can make its approach. We line up to the floats, keeping them on our starboard side. This can take some time and fine adjustments from the bridge, so the deck crew stands by patiently. We must be careful to avoid running over the mooring line, as well as potentially navigating around ice floes as they drift by. Dynamic environments require constant focus from every crew member involved!

Once we are along side the floats, you can see that they are attached to one another via line. Our goal is to hook onto the line, to pull it towards the deck. The man in yellow made quite an impressive grappling hook throw, and snagged the line perfectly. I always love to see people who have mastered their craft hard at work. Some of the green hats attempted to throw the hook, and Mr. Yellows skill was undeniable. A grappling hook is heavy, and a rather awkward shape to try and heave. So we were all thoroughly impressed!

Once the floats are at our side, we can hook the topmost one onto the winch line. The line is brought from the A-frame block, and held around the quarter by the deck crew. Once the floats are tied on, we allow the ship to float slowly forwards, bringing the floats aft to the A-frame. It takes many hands to ensure the line does not become snagged on anything while we can walk the float back assembly line style. Once it comes to our stern, it is time for the Lebus winch to start pulling the immense amount of gear onboard.

First up, the floats! Once the winch pulls up enough line to suspend them, the A-frame operator brings the frame inboard to the deckhands reach. They make off the line below the floats, so that the gear still in the water stays attached to the ship. At that point, the floats are no longer weight bearing, and can be removed from the main line. Special float stands are carried on a palette jack, so the floats can be stowed without rolling around like pinballs on deck. Once they are securely fastened down, the weight bearing line is attached back to the winch to haul up the next section of the instrument package.

The VLF is the next to be recovered! This device, which operates on a ‘very low frequency’ (hance the name VLF), communicates with seagliders. If you’ve been following along with my blog posts, you may remember seagliders from my time aboard the R/V Thomas G. Thompson. Those little yellow rockets dive up and down the water column collecting data, all by their selves! The VLF is so huge because of the extensive batteries that it must carry. It’s hard work under the ice, so they need their energy to stay awake until we come back for them!

This scientific crew has previously sailed in the area to deploy seagliders and moorings, which is what we are here to recover. These devices generally stay out for 1-3 years, autonomously collecting data which is critical for oceanographic research.

The VLF was brought back on board the same way as the floats, by transferring weight bearing lines. After that, its just a mere 3500 meters of line to hoist up! This takes a good chunk of time, as the winch can only pull in line so quickly. After a couple hours of line winding, the acoustic anchor release is the bitter end of the line. Finally the deck crew can head back inside and warm up for a bit!

While still sitting on the same station, science requested a CTD cast. After all of the testing we have put the CTD through, its time to put it through the true ringer- a cast to a depth of around 3700 meters! Luckily I was still on shift, so I was able to prep the CTD for deployment. We opened all of the bottles, and prepared them for water collecting. There I am, on deck finally! Hi me! I removed caps from all of the sensors, and the plungers from the oxygen sensors. I stood back as the deck crew deployed the rosette over the side, to ensure everything on the rosette looked correct. Similarly to how the line recovered from the mooring, it takes some time for the CTD to reach the requested depth. So it’s back to waiting around for you, deckies!

Once the CTD was 3700m below us, dangling into the dark arctic waters, it was time for data collection. This was right around our turnover time, so it was lucky that both Kaleigh and I were able to fire some of the niskin bottles. Look at us go! The computer program, SeaSave, is fairly simple to use. It graphs the water column data in real time, and makes some pretty neat charts. You can clearly see the thermocline here, which is a depth at where the temperature changes drastically. I am a nerd, so this is fantastically exciting for me! To some it may just be a few lines, but it is a visual representation of all of the oceanographic theory I have studied before. I love to see science in action!

After the CTD came back on board during the dayshift, we allowed the full niskin bottles to settle and test for leaks. And wouldn’t you know it… Sigh. It’s back to testing for us! In an unusual turn of events, many of the bottles are leaking from the screws, which is a new one for me. Some drip from the spigots as well. So, time to try something else!

The niskin bottles we use are as big as I am! These bottles hold 12 litres of seawater each. With 24 bottles on the rosette at any one time, we can grab 288 litres of sea water in a single cast! Seldom will the science group need all 288 litres, but it does give them plenty to work with. Science needed no water for this station, it was actually just for our own testing purposes. We wanted to let the bottles sit so we could detect leaks, and detect them we did!

We couldn’t just pour the bottles onto the staging bay floor, so we had to take the bottles down while they were full. One full niskin bottle weighs approximately 35 lbs, so as you can see, it was a bit of a wrestle to pull them off the rosette. We emptied them all into the floor drains, and got to work with our repairs.

I have worked with rebuilding a niskin bottle as part of a school project, but never this many! We documented which bottles had which issues, and began trying to solve some leaks. We ran an experiment to try and figure out a solution. We replaced one bottles O-rings, one bottles spigot, and one bottles lower screws. We filled them back up and let them sit for a little while again.

When we came back to check, the only bottle that showed improvement was bottle number 2, where we replaced the spigot. This involves wrenching the bottles open, removing the spigot disc, removing O-rings, and popping out the old spigot. So, we took a sit down on the floor and got busy switching out all of the spigots. It is a bit of a delicate and involved process, so this took us much of our shift to accomplish. Once we had swapped out all of the affected pieces, we cleaned up the mess we made and hung the bottles back onto the rosette. Try again!

Another facet of the scientific mission on this deployment is ARGO floats. You can find out more about the floats and their mission on their website! These devices are deployed over the side and act much like a drifter. They go out and do their thing, collecting precious, precious data! An excitable member of sci allowed me to assist in the deployment of this float, which was a bit underwhelming and a ton of fun. More or less, we simply wait for a break in the ice and toss ‘er over the gunwale! We are a bit more precise than that, using a piece of line to slowly lower the float into the water, but you get the picture… Thanks, Justin!

The first sasquatch sighting in the arctic…

Oh right, this is the Coast Gaurd! Back to official matters. An incredible training opportunity presented itself while we are in such thick ice. Ice rescue! We spent a considerable amount of time looking for an appropriate floe, and posted up beside of the piece. Once the bridge felt confident it was a good spot, the deck department craned the gangway onto the ice, and the first man was down that quick. One small step for man!

They walked as far from the ship as the fog would allow. Each man on the ice carries equipment that they might need while off of the ship. They place little orange safety cones on spots where there might be tripping hazards or questionable ice. They even have a team member dedicated to watching for wildlife! With the fog, it would be relatively easy to accidentally creep up on an unsuspecting polar bear. It was a delight to watch them trudge across the frozen snow, and fade into to distant fog as ships in the night. The going is slow, walking carefully on slippery surfaces and uneven terrain.

Then it was the time for their true trials- surviving a fall into the ice! If they were to step through a thin spot of ice, or have any other reason to end up in the water, they need to know how to respond. Their suits have a base of neoprene, which keeps them dry, and a snowsuit that keeps snow and wind off of them. These suits float very effectively, so theres no need to try and tread water. While in the water, they practice manuevers for rescuing an unconscious team member, best practices for crawling back up onto the ice, and more. This training, though surely strenuous, looked like the most fun you could have! What a crazy feeling it must be, floating in an ice hole with nothing but 4000 meters (13,000+ feet!) of ancient arctic water below you.Only those training were allowed to get onto the ice, so it is a bummer I was not able to participate. But even just watching was incredible!

My mentor Maya and I were jealous of the coasties play time on the ice, but we enjoyed our time on deck watching just as much!

It was surreal to see the vessel at a stand still in the ice, and I got this insane view of the bow. The ship is unbelievably huge, and I am always in awe of her stature. Once the ice training was complete, the coasties scaled the rather steep gangway back onboard, and we were back to crushing ice in no time. As we continue our efforts, with many more miles ahead of us, we say so long and farewell to our northern most point.

Fair winds and clear leads to you scallywags back home.

Micah Barton – God Bless – 07/31/2025

CTDs, moorings, and floats, oh my! – STARC 03

By Kaleigh Ballantine

On July 30, 2025

In Ship-based Technical Support in the Arctic (STARC) Team, USCGC Healy

This week, it was finally time to put all our preparation to the test: we had a CTD deployment! Despite Tyler’s and my confidence in our setup, it was still a relief to see all the sensors working properly at 3700 meters and to watch everything come back in one piece. To give the system a little extra TLC after a successful deployment, I overengineered a new syringe (used to flush the CTD’s plumbing and keep the salinity sensors wet to prevent salt crystallization, which might skew later readings) since the old ones kept falling apart.

We were also able to observe more mooring deployments and recoveries in varying conditions. Moorings are essentially long lines of instruments placed at specific depths, anchored to the seafloor, and held upright by big buoys. If we’re lucky during a recovery, we’ll find a nice patch of open water where the mooring is expected to pop up. But more often, the ship has to spend a few hours breaking ice in circles to clear the area, which leads to some pretty silly-looking cruise tracks.

Deploying a very low frequency (VLF) device on the mooring that can communicate with underwater gliders.

In an ideal world, scientists send a signal to an acoustic release at the bottom of the mooring, which tells us its location and triggers it to disconnect from the anchor so the whole array can float to the surface. The ship then spots the colorful buoys, drives up to them, and the crew uses grappling hooks to pull them closer and hook them to the winch line. The mooring is then dragged to the stern, where it’s hauled up and secured piece by piece using taglines to bear the weight below each instrument. In practice, the lines can tangle, buoys get stuck in ice, and many other complications arise. There’s more to learn every time!

We’ve also been deploying a couple of expendable bathythermographs (XBTs) and Argo floats. XBTs are corded probes launched off the ship that work almost like a single-use CTD. Argo floats are devices that take continuous temperature and salinity profiles for a global data network. Because the network relies on the accessibility of putting these floats out, they’re pretty simple to deploy. In fact, some cargo ships just throw them overboard in the cardboard boxes! We handled them a little more gingerly, though.

Making deck work look cool…It’s easy with that view.

One of the most exciting deployments this week was…people! Which is to say, we had an impromptu ice station. Unfortunately, only the Coast Guard ice rescue team was allowed out to conduct training, but it was fun to watch anyway. While it was a serious exercise, seeing the team splash around in a pool on the ice looked like quite possibly the most fun imaginable. I was asked to take photos of the process for the NOAA Corps liaison on board, which felt like a fun crossover moment from my work back home.

Back inside, Tyler and I started our next big project: taking an inventory of all the scientific cables STARC has onboard, which we affectionately refer to as “the cable factory.” That’s meant a lot of multimeter time for me, along with building a spreadsheet. And, if you know me, you know that the spreadsheet is beyond tricked out. The idea is to make it easier for the next person to fix or redo the CTD, with useful info like instrument-specific pinouts. To keep it accessible, I printed out QR codes that link to the spreadsheet and laminated them with a heat gun, since I couldn’t find the laminator. If it’s stupid but it works…

I’m beginning to believe there’s nothing a heat gun can’t fix!

Coming from a science background, one of the coolest parts of being a marine tech is getting to test dozens of hypotheses on a cruise instead of just a few, like the science party. For example, we have two water walls onboard, each with two oxygen sensors. On one wall, one sensor consistently reads about 5 units higher than the others, no matter which sensor is installed in that spot. I hypothesized that the spinning flow meter between the two sensors was forcing bubbles through the line and causing the higher oxygen readout. Tyler gave me the okay to test my theory, and after several trials and alternative hypotheses (the Y valve is causing a pressure drop? the short tubing is causing too high local flow?), we’ve ruled them all out so far. Onto the next one! Maybe a float test…

Tyler has also been teaching me some cool basic tech skills, like tying nautical knots (I’ve got the bowline down) and soldering, which is super cool, though I haven’t quite mastered it yet. I’ve learned more “computer stuff” too, like serial and UDP communication, and SSH, amongst all the instruments and VMs onboard. Tyler tasked me with creating diagrams for related computer and electrical systems, so I’ve been enjoying applying my graphics skills to a new technical subject.

First time soldering! Don’t look at it too closely…

Now that we’ve settled into the ship and its routine, I’ve begun to take more notice of the morale events happening. From Sunday sundaes and pizza parties to karaoke and crafternoons, there’s plenty of fun breaks to be found when you need them. Now that we’ve hit our highest latitude of the trip, I’m also happy to report: I’ve found the North Pole! Contrary to popular belief, it lives in storage in the hull of the Healy. Who knows what else we’ll find! Until next week.

Polar bear count: 0*
^{*Everyone, PLEASE manifest bears.}

^{Side note: Thank you to everyone who reached out to check in on our safety following the massive earthquake off the coast of Russia and subsequent tsunami warnings. We are quite north and all safe! Tsunamis are generally not too big in deep water but grow to larger heights when they enter shallower water, so even if it did reach us, it would still be a small blip out in the open ocean. Thinking about those affected, and hope you are all safe!}

Alvin Post Cruise/Post Internship

By Daniel Silguero

On July 29, 2025

In R/V Atlantis, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

On the 1st of July, we completed our final dive operation and started on post cruise tasks. Instead of rolling the sub all the way back into the hanger, we rolled to the middle of the deck and pulled off all the skins (large fiberglass panels that cover the exterior systems). Laying all of the skins on the deck of the ship, we began spraying down every inch of the submersible with a special titanium safe detergent solution. We used large scrub brushes to clean the syntactic foam surfaces and the removed skins. After the cleaning, we reinstalled most of the skins and rolled the sub back inside the hanger.

The Alvin submersible getting a thorough post cruise cleaning.

The next morning, we arrived back in Dutch Harbor and continued our post cruise duties. One of my roles during this period was to prepare all of the sub’s hydraulic and oil compensated systems for hibernation. This involved hooking up a vacuum pump to every junction box reservoir and hydraulic system one at a time. I then slightly drain down the fluid level in each volume. For humidity sensitive systems, such as the 2 main junction boxes, I would replace the oil as it was drained with nitrogen gas, ensuring no humid air would be introduced into the new atmosphere. Draining down these systems ensures temperature changes during transit and other expeditions will not build excess pressure inside the delicate boxes.

Beautiful morning arriving back into Dutch Harbor

Port side Main junction box (left), and battery contactor box (Right), both drained down a few inches.

Once all systems were prepared, we installed the huge blue car-style canvas cover, ensuring Alvin would stay nice and clean while not being used.

The day of July 3rd, we finished tidying up all of the Alvin work spaces and buttoned down the equipment that won’t be used for a while. We then spent the next few hours cleaning our rooms and packing up all of our belongings, getting ready to disembark the Atlantis. In the early afternoon, I disembarked for the last time and got a ride to the grand Aleutian hotel! The Alvin team and I didn’t fly out of Dutch Harbor until the 5th, so we had a few days to explore the breathtaking landscape.

After we left Dutch Harbor on the 5th, we landed in Anchorage. I stayed another two days there with a few members of the Alvin team, exploring the area.

The following section is basically a photo album of my favorite pictures and fondest memories, including my adventures in Dutch harbor and anchorage.

Work in progress photo of my hand painted helmet!

The 2 most incredible dive day sunrises.

An awesome picture taken by Lance Wills. The picture shows the Alvin submersible being brought in by the tow line. The person standing at the right corner of the ship is me watching the recovery!

A silly picture of Myself, Alex on the left and Colten on the right. Two members of the ship’s crew.

Mt Cleveland left and Mt Carlisle right, two of the incredible volcanos that make up The Islands Of The Four Mountains.

One of the Aleutian islands emerging from the fog during a rainstorm.

Moving onto my land based adventures, there were many! From hiking to the summit of one of the Aleutian mountains to hanging out around a bonfire with some of the incredible folks that call Dutch Harbor home.

3 photos I captured from the peak of Amaknak Island Unalaska.

An incredible view and a snowmelt pond near one of Unalaska’s peaks.

A few of my favorite rock stacks I made on a beach in Dutch harbor.

Sitting around a bonfire behind the Norwegian Rat Saloon, after the cruise.

Resting in a meadow after a hike in anchorage, with some of the Alvin team. Wren, Molly, Janna, and Nick.

Two more pictures from our adventures in Anchorage.

Lastly here is a photo of me! This photo was taken the night we first arrived in Dutch harbor after the 11 day transit from San Diego.

This adventure has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The opportunity to work on the Alvin team as a mechanical technician, even for a month, is something truly unique and an adventure I won’t soon forget. Thank you for reading my blog posts! I hope you enjoyed my adventure, because I certainly did!

NDSF WHOI Mate Internship – Week 5

By Steph Long

On July 28, 2025

In National Deep Submergence Facility, AUV Sentry Lab, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Hey blog readers!

I am so excited to share my adventures from this week with you! Let’s start with a routine update of the work I’ve been able to accomplish this week, and then I’ll tell you about my super-exciting mini oceanography cruise.

After my presentation last week, I’ve pivoted gears from simply researching data science solutions to really digging into generating a proof of concept. I say all of this, but of course, I spent the majority of this week setting up, installing, and configuring the necessary software for that proof of concept. It turns out that deep-sea robots are incredibly complex—and that’s after all the work has already been done to make them! Just “plugging in” to the system, so to speak, is an endeavor all by itself.

So, this week I spent a lot of time jumping down various rabbit holes in order to correctly set up ROS (Robotic Operating System) on a virtual machine, and I finally have it up and running. I was even able to run this really cool simulation of Sentry.

Separately, this week I had the opportunity to go on a short, few-hours-long intro-to-field-oceanography cruise! We boarded the ship—a small but decently sized fishing vessel owned by a community member who participates in a large amount of citizen science here at WHOI—and cruised out of the harbor.

We deployed a camera tow and were able to visualize and inspect eel grass forests. It was a bit choppy in the channel, so we weren’t able to see as much as we had hoped with the camera, unfortunately. But the best part was yet to come—we deployed a number of catchment vessels to pull up some critters to research! We dredged a small section of the bottom, used a floating plankton catcher, and deployed a lobster pot.

Here are some more pictures from that short but sweet adventure:

Hope you enjoyed the pictures—I hope they made up for last week’s lack!

Write to you later,
Steph

NDSF WHOI Mate Internship – Week 4

By Steph Long

On July 28, 2025

In National Deep Submergence Facility, AUV Sentry Lab, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Hey blog readers,

This week was jam-packed with a variety of activities and opportunities to learn!

On Wednesday, the AOPE (Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering) staff held scientific presentations, where scientists and engineers gave lightning-round talks about their current research and past findings. It was really cool to hear about the huuuuuge variety of things people are researching—all within the same department.

For example, many scientists are investigating the role and dynamics of sea ice and glaciers. Others are studying the health of kelp forests in South Africa and creating an accessible online map of the world’s giant (and other) kelp forests. Through the website, you can go back—say, 50 years—and explore how the forests have grown or disappeared over time.

In contrast, some researchers are using machine learning and artificial intelligence to “train” robots to swim gracefully—or, more scientifically, to move hydrodynamically through the ocean. Instead of brute-forcing their way through the water, these robots use physics and optimized movement to their advantage.

These are just two extremes of the research happening within the AOPE department. When I compare that to the work I’m doing in the DSL, and the work of those around me, it really highlights the incredible breadth of AOPE’s mission. You can also see how all of these pieces come together. For example, I can envision the data collected by Sentry (the deep-sea robot my team works on) being used to analyze certain oceanic plumes. Those findings, in turn, could help explain why certain oceanic vegetation—like giant kelp—is thriving or not.

There’s a chain of research and a cycle of knowledge that flows not just from Sentry and our robotics teams to external scientists, but internally as well. That’s part of what makes WHOI function so exceptionally.

Back to my work—this week, I had my mid-internship design review and presented my findings on data management for the Sentry machine learning pipeline to members of the Sentry team. The presentation went great, and the feedback I received will serve as a strong foundation for bringing Sentry into the future.

I deeply apologize for the lack of pictures this week—although, that probably gives you an accurate sense of how focused I’ve been on preparing for my presentation!

That’s all for this week—write you later!
Steph

Another New Ocean – 09 – Micah B.

By Micah Barton

On July 25, 2025

In Host, US Coast Guard, USCGC Healy, Vessel/Laboratory

It is currently day 10 aboard the USCGC Healy! Kaleigh and I have received the full onboarding experience, including donning our survival suits. These ones are extra nifty, and can even hook together so you don’t drift apart. They remind me of how otters hold hands while they sleep! Making sure that everyone knows exactly how to don a survival suit ensures that, in the event of an emergency, it is a quick process with no confusion. Reaction time makes a huge difference in dangerous situations at sea!

Along these same lines, we ran many drills. Most of them were for the sake of Coast Guard training, but they are vital for everyone on the ship. Man overboard, fire, gas leak, and medical emergencies are some of the various drills that are practiced frequently. Practice doesn’t make perfect, but it does make for efficient response times. Everyone knows their duty and where their muster station is. Confidence in ability is half the battle!

*Coefficients, variables, offsets oh my!*

The marine technicians onboard the Healy run 24hrs a day, in 12 hour shifts. I am on the midnight to noon shift with my mentor Maya, and Kaleigh is on the noon to midnight shift with Tyler. The tech lead of our team, Christina, is on watch from 0600 to 1800. Having this overlap ensures that our turnovers go smoothly, and adds an extra hand to the times when science is most likely to occur on the cruise. This setup does mean that I don’t get to participate as much in the science, but gives a realistic view into the life of a technician.

In this photo, Christina (left) and Maya (right) are troubleshooting one of the many softwares that keep science aboard running. On the wall of monitors, each system can be observed at a glance. Generally, green lights mean things are running well, and red ones mean things need to be checked. Hope you aren’t color blind!

Though having this many screens may seem overwhelming, it is an asset. Nothing can be forgotten when it’s right in front of you!

Being a marine technician has much to do with variety. Having a wide scope of skills and working with many different instruments means always learning. A new piece of equipment for me is the gravimeter. Measuring marine gravity is an interesting science, and a subject that I know little about. I won’t bore you with the details, but check out this short, informational video for more info. My mentor Maya walked me through the process of a weekly test called “Test points”, where we use a multimeter to check resistances. We track the numbers in a spreadsheet, as well as enter the numbers into the deck box for calibrations sake. Next week, it will be my turn to teach Kaleigh, our other intern, how to perform the test.

While on watch, we make several rounds throughout the ship, touring through any space that has equipment and instruments under our supervision. We inspect deck boxes and cables, and remain vigilant for alarms, red lights, or low fluids. One of those spaces is the gravimeter chamber where the unit lives. I have come to quite enjoy our rounds, as it is a nice break from the lab, and we occasionally are able to see others up and about in the dead of night.

While transiting to science stations, it is a perfect time to test equipment. The CTD was due for a thorough look over, bottles and all. The day shift was working on sensors and the CTD “fish” itself, so it was up to the midnight marooners to test the niskin bottles. First up: do they hold water? Well, they were all full already. So the easy answer was yes! We drained them all out, giving us the chance to test the petcock drain on each bottle.

Interestingly, one bottle refused to drain, even with the vent screw wide open. After dismantling the bottle trying to troubleshoot, we found that it was the fault of a defective vent screw. The vent screw had no vent! A simple replacement solved the issue.

One of the spare bottles had a small leak, and we identified a crack right at the base of the bottles handle. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to repair the bottle, so it is simply out of commission. All the other bottles got the A-OK, so I clambered back up into the hangar loft and got the bottles back onto their storage rack.

After a couple long days of work, we spotted our first patch of ice. And then another, and another! It’s official, we have entered into the Arctic Circle! This is definitely the most unique and incredible environment I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. The farther North we chug, the thicker and more consistent the ice becomes. As it scrapes along the side of the hull, it sounds like a wild animal trying to escape the steel. The slow push against the floes sends cracks racing down the surface, and pierces the quiet air as a bullet through the fog. No polar bears yet, but we’re on the lookout always. Kaleigh is keeping a polar bear count in her blog posts, so be sure to keep an eye out for her updates as well!

The ice has quickly become a target of my fixation, and I wind down every day by just watching it float by. As an ice breaker, the Healy is specially equipped to come to areas that other ships are seldom able to traverse. As the ships local biology nerd, I am on the constant lookout for wildlife. Besides the occasional bird following the ship, there have been absolutely no signs of life up here in the ice. The binoculars are getting their fair share of sea time while we endlessly search the horizon for a polar bear, whale, or even just a seal. It is impossible to truly capture the ice and its presence in a photo, but it doesn’t mean I don’t keep trying!

*I guess I better act right, or they might put me in here…*

Another stop that we make on our daily rounds is the Mica stores. I have yet to find someone who can tell me why the space is called that, but it gets my Micah Stamp of Approval! A huge variable to take into account with science in the arctic is the cold, duh. Things have a tendency to freeze up here in all this ice! One of the systems that keeps things running smoothly are these ‘head tanks’. This creates a glycol-water mix for filling the transducer wells, which prevents freezing. Our only responsibility here is to check the levels, and to alert the engineering crew if they look low. We noticed that a few were low, so once they were freshly filled, we added labels to the level with the current date, for future reference.

*You’re telling me farfalle doesn’t come out this end? Are you sure?*

Another new piece of equipment I have encountered is this Lebus winch. I have worked with other winch types of winches before, but this one looks akin to a pasta maker! This machine is especially good at pulling loads with long lines and heavy instrument packages. It has special ‘gates’ that can be opened and closed to allow shackles and thimbles to be wound through with no problem. I have not been able to see this winch in action much yet, but I am hopeful that one of our science stations will be on my shift in the upcoming week!

Ice breaking is simultaneously an exciting and a rather dull activity. Essentially, once we arrive on station, we do donuts in the ship, which leaves us with some interesting track lines. We break the ice sheets up while steering in concentric circles at varying speed, which leaves behind a nice slushy spot in the middle for us to conduct our scientific endeavors within. Occasionally, we may get lucky, and our operation will happen right amidst a pool of open water, which saves hours of ice breaking. Either way, the science must go on!

As the sun sits stable on the horizon and watches us slowly crush the ice sheets, that’s all I’ve got for you today. At a balmy 2 degrees Celsius, I am hiking up my longjohns and getting to work!

Forever staring out the window, signing off.

Micah Barton – God Bless – 07/25/2025

Ice, ice, breaking – STARC 02

By Kaleigh Ballantine

On July 24, 2025

In Ship-based Technical Support in the Arctic (STARC) Team, USCGC Healy

(dun–dun–dun da-da-da-dun)

No rest for the weary on a Coast Guard ship! My first morning on the Healy started with alarms—man overboard! Don’t worry, it was just the first of several shipboard safety drills that day to welcome us onboard. An abandon-ship drill later in the day brought me to the hangar, where Micah and I tested our ability to speedrun suiting up in immersion suits. As we did, an exciting announcement came over the speakers: we’d officially crossed into the Arctic Circle!

Micah and I demonstrating the unbreakable bond of marine safety preparedness.

Just one day later brought us something to show for our crossing: sea ice! I’ve found that no matter how much you stare at the glinting white and cyan shapes bobbing by, it never gets old. The Healy is an icebreaker ship capable of continuously breaking 4.5 feet of ice, or 10 feet when backing and ramming. The continuous shudder of icebreaking is definitely a unique feeling compared to the usual sway of open water. The ship’s hull is designed not to pierce through waves like most boats, but rather to slide up onto ice and crush it beneath its weight. Watching the ice break and churn alongside the ship is mesmerizing. I worry ice pictures may be beginning to outnumber dog pictures in my camera roll! Hopefully some polar bear pictures will bridge the gap…

Throughout the week, Tyler taught me systems essential to a marine tech’s job, like the Rolling Deck to Repository (R2R) data system and e-logging requests from the science crew. I also started learning about user datagram protocol (UDP) and virtual machines (VM), which we’ll likely get into more of later. Stay tuned! Tyler additionally gave me a crash course on more instruments, including the ADCP and gravimeter. The gravimeter is an instrument that detects tiny changes in the strength of the gravitational field to give us better insight into the geological topography under the ocean.

Our first big project was updating the CTD. CTD stands for conductivity (salinity), temperature, and depth (pressure), and is considered the “bread and butter” of marine tech. The CTD package is often mounted to a rosette that also holds other sensors and Niskin bottles to collect water at various depths as it is lowered into deep water. To make it a little more confusing, “CTD” often refers to the entire setup, not just the core instrument package.

After a baseline deck test confirmed most of the system was in good shape, we discovered the fluorometer wasn’t working. A fluorometer is an instrument that can measure the fluorescence of the seawater to give an estimate of the volume of chlorophyll present, which indicates the primary production of phytoplankton (the photosynthesizing base of the marine food web). Using a power supply and multimeter, we confirmed it was faulty and tested its replacement along with new oxygen and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) sensors, which we would also be adding to the CTD.

While I had worked with a CTD previously, learning about how instruments work using frequency and voltage was a new and exciting lens to explore. Tyler emphasized the importance of matching instruments to their correct pinouts. This involved digging for the correct cables in the endless cable drawer down in the science hold, testing them with the multimeter, labeling them, and then securely routing and connecting the cables on the CTD. Attaching expensive instruments to something going thousands of meters down in the ocean can be a little nerve-wracking, so we made sure everything is neatly wired and secured using hose clamps, velcro, and zip ties. After updating calibration files in Seasave and running another deck test, everything was set.

Getting geared up! It’s always just about freezing outside.

This week had no shortage of exciting sidequests. I spent lots of time with the multibeam ensuring it was running as best it could with the racket of ice all around and turning it off when the bridge spotted marine mammals. Having the most dramatic flare of the week, the metal pole supporting the wind sensor on the forward jackstaff snapped, leaving the sensor’s cable to be the only thing to hold up both. Deeming it in need of an immediate fix, the ship came to a halt and Tyler climbed the dicey jackstaff ladder off the bow to safely take it down. I was just happy to support from the deck!

We also began some more standard deck work. As of today, we’ve recovered three moorings that have been collecting data in the Arctic Ocean for a couple of years. Navigating mooring recoveries with the added obstacles of constantly moving and refreezing sea ice has been a really interesting process to learn along the basics of winches, taglines (and also in this case, grappling hooks!). I’m looking forward to observing and potentially participating more in upcoming deck work.

This picture is dedicated to Tyler’s mom.

As we tackle tasks big and small, I’m slowly gaining familiarity with the work of a marine tech and learning more each day. It’s hard to believe it’s only been a week! Don’t worry, though, the watertight doors and eating lunch for breakfast keep me humble. Until next week!

Polar bear count: 0.5*

^{*A Coast Guard public affairs specialist (PA) showed me a picture he took of one from far, far away during the first night onboard, but none have been seen since then. I did, however, spot some walruses swimming in the distance!}

I’m on a boat! – STARC 01

By Kaleigh Ballantine

On July 21, 2025

In Ship-based Technical Support in the Arctic (STARC) Team, USCGC Healy

Belated post (ironically) due to technical difficulties! Originally written July 16, 2025.

It’s been a busy few days! This week, I traveled to join the Healy, but evidently, I didn’t even need to hop on a plane to meet my MATE mentor, Tyler! As I lined up to board my flight from Portland, Oregon, to Anchorage, Alaska, Tyler found me and introduced himself. He’s a marine technician at Oregon State University, coincidentally my alma mater! He was a MATE intern a few years ago who was mentored by other previous MATE interns, so I’m stoked to be reaping the benefits of a long line of program successes. I’m in good hands!

Tyler works on the Ship-based Technical Support in the Arctic (STARC) contract, which essentially provides marine techs for the USCGC Healy’s science missions. Although the Healy is first and foremost a Coast Guard vessel, it’s also a research vessel. The cruise I’m on now is in support of the Arctic Mobile Observing System (AMOS), a network of autonomous oceanographic instruments making long-scale autonomous observations of ocean and sea ice physics.

In Anchorage, we met up with Micah, the long-term MATE intern joining for the same leg of this expedition. Soon, we were all on the short flight to Nome, a small town known for being the last stop in the famous Iditarod dogsled race. There, we met a member of the Coast Guard and spent roughly the next couple of blustery days banding together to explore Nome’s historical landmarks, gift shops, and eclectically remote dining options while waiting for the Healy’s arrival. Highlights included seeing wild musk oxen, finding the finish line of the Iditarod, and ordering sushi at a pizza restaurant.

Once the Healy was in position off the coast of Nome, we coordinated with more newly arrived Coast Guard officers for our onboarding. Suddenly a bright and sunny day after a perpetual rainy gray, we made our way to Nome’s port. There, one of the Healy’s small boats (just 26 feet long!) picked us up in small groups while a water taxi transferred our luggage. As an understatement, the small boat ride was awesome. Wearing a Mustang suit, speeding along up and down through waves on an endless sunny sea as the grand profile of the Healy grew closer and closer was definitely a cinematic experience.

When we reached the Healy (a whopping 420 feet in length), we were faced with our next new and novel experience: climbing a Jacob’s ladder dangling off the Healy’s deck while our small boat bumped through the waves next to it. Once I started climbing the swinging rope, I understood why its name carried the carnival connotation. Despite some nerves, I made it smoothly to the top and was officially on the Healy!

After climbing up, Micah and I were given a tour (lots of muscling through watertight doors) from the STARC lead onboard, Christina, then hauled our bags up and got settled in the computer lab. Then, once Tyler was onboard, the real work began! As we started north, Tyler showed me the “water wall,” the system of seawater that flows through a set of sensors for continuous data collection while underway. It gives us information about the current seawater temperature, salinity, oxygen, and chlorophyll levels. Configuring the water wall involves a “seesaw” of opening and closing valves to allow flow through the full arrangement of all the instruments with the right water pressure. Here, our main goal is to keep it flowing, accurate, and not explode it!

Tyler also gave me a crash course in some key sonar instruments the STARC team monitors on the ship: the multibeam echosounder, singlebeam echosounder, and acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP). The multi-beam echosounder is an instrument that emits lots and lots of sound pulses to map out the seafloor like a 3D model by detecting how the frequencies change as they bounce back to it. The single-beam works similarly, but with just one pulse point, which provides us with a cross-sectional line of the seafloor topography. The ADCP uses sound to measure water current speed and direction by emitting sound pulses that bounce off particles suspended in the water. It then calculates the speed and direction of the current by measuring the Doppler shift, which is the change in frequency of the returning sounds.

Finishing up the first of my noon to midnight working days, we ended with a walk on the weather decks, admiring the almost-sunset off the land of the midnight sun. I’m so stoked to finally be onboard and excited for the steep learning curves ahead. Until next week!

Polar bear count: 0*

*Polar bears are not native to the Portland International Airport.

On the Road Again – 08 – Micah B.

By Micah Barton

On July 17, 2025

In Host, US Coast Guard, USCGC Healy, Vessel/Laboratory

Well, hello again everyone! I hope you have had a restful few weeks, and are enjoying your summer to the fullest. My days at home were full of catching up with family and friends, eating out, and taking plenty of naps. I walked my dogs, sat in the grass listening to the cicadas sing, and enjoyed the rolling hills of Carolina. Even though I enjoyed my break, you bet I’m going back to sea!

Flying solo becomes easier and less nerve racking with every connecting flight. I had a flight delayed by about 6 hours, so I landed in Anchorage, Alaska in the wee hours of the night. I scored a few solid hours of sleep before hopping on the next plane, and finally wound up at my final destination of Nome, Alaska, along with some of my colleagues.

The welcome sign is shaped like a gold pan.

Nome has a local population of around 3,600 people, and was part of the American Gold Rush. People flocked to the area to hunt for the valuable treasure, and gold mining is still relevant in the area today. This sign for Nome pays homage to the gold panning history of the town. The area is often a place of transit for people preparing to board ships, and has a very welcoming and kind community. We were privileged enough to have a full day to explore the area, talk to the locals, and enjoy some of the local businesses.

I met up with one of my mentors, Tyler, my co-intern Kaleigh, and even some of the members of the Coast Guard. We made introductions over dinner and a game of pool at the local pool hall. Check out Tyler’s signature move, which has roughly a 47% success rate!

A rental car allowed us to take in some of the sights on the outside of town as well. Rain and foggy conditions made walking a bit of a chore, so the car was a Godsend. We visited the local visitor center and museum, and everyone recommended we take a drive over the hill. The landscape and environment is so beautiful, and bustling with life. We saw birds of prey such as Osprey, small mammals, and many sea gulls and song birds. Just as we were ready to turn home and call our sightseeing quits, we stumbled upon some Musk Ox, or Ovibos moschatus. You can read a quick article about their conservation efforts here!

Once our tourist activities were over, it was time to embark on our mission; join the US Coast Gaurd Cutter, Healy! The ship was at anchorage, so a small boat shuttled us from the shore. It seemed to be a bit of a daunting ride in the wind and cold, so we donned our mustang suits and hardhats, and held on tightly for the trip. Thanks to the skilled crew, we made it safely to the shipside and climbed the Jacob’s ladder up. Once all personnel was on board, the luggage came shortly after. Everyone and their things made it safely aboard!

The ship itself is massive, by far the largest I have had the pleasure to step aboard. At 420′ long, she is called the most technologically advanced ice breaker, and also the largest vessel within the Coast Guards fleet. The Healy is a beast of a scientific platform, and for good reason! Research in the Arctic is difficult and harsh, which takes the grit and drive of a vessel such as this. Pictured is the back deck, complete with the all familiar A-frame. In the background, Nome slowly fades out of view as we sail out to sea.

As we begin our transit, we earn ourselves a tour of the humongous ship. Our mentor Tyler was also once a MATE intern, and it is very rewarding to see how different life paths can all converge into one outcome. Seeing how someone in my position can proceed in life and succeed in their career instills hope and even more ambition.

So, this begins my journey of sailing on the Healy. Even though I will most definitely still get lost behind a long line of watertight doors, trust that I am somewhere on board trying my best. I am super excited to see how the Coast Guard functions on board a research vessel, and learn how a marine techs skills can assist the science party in their mission amidst the training drills and station bills. Stay tuned for more, and come rescue me from the labyrinth of hallways if you hear yelling coming from the inside of the bilge!

(I probably got lost and I’m cold and hungry)

Micah Barton – God Bless – 07/17/2025

USCG Healy MATE Internship Week 4

By Brian Samuelsen

On July 16, 2025

In Ship-based Technical Support in the Arctic (STARC) Team, USCGC Healy

For my final week on the Healy we arrived in Unalaska, better known as Dutch Harbor. It is the largest fishery in the United States by volume of fish caught, as well as the home port for Deadliest Catch. It was also invaded by the Japanese during World War II, with pill boxes and bunkers scattered across the island and its hills and beaches.

Being part of the Aleutian Peninsula, this place is very remote with a population of around 4000 people. This allows for an abundance of wildlife to flourish, including wild horses, seals, whales, ground squirrels, foxes, otters and bald eagles everywhere you look. The weather was decent so I was able to do a short hike and see plenty of these animals up close and personal, with great views of the town and surrounding landscape.

On the Healy side of things we had to close out the cruise as this leg of the season was coming to an end. I got to learn about data transferring and backup, as well as shutting down our sensors while we were in port. After leaving Dutch, I learned about starting a new cruise and was in charge of doing the freshwater flush and flow setup for one of the water walls, as well as cleaning out the filters(being in port allows for a lot more bio-fouling).

This was an invaluable experience and window into life at sea and science research instruments, and I would like to give special thanks to my mentor Howie, as well as Christina, Joe, Maria, PSN Boo, PSN Brian, Captain Serumgard, and the Healy crew.

Month: July 2025 Page 1 of 2

Great White North – 10 – Micah B.

CTDs, moorings, and floats, oh my! – STARC 03

Alvin Post Cruise/Post Internship

NDSF WHOI Mate Internship – Week 5

NDSF WHOI Mate Internship – Week 4

Another New Ocean – 09 – Micah B.

Ice, ice, breaking – STARC 02

I’m on a boat! – STARC 01

On the Road Again – 08 – Micah B.

USCG Healy MATE Internship Week 4