Hi all,

Although we have been transiting for a week and there has been hardly any science operations, myself and others in the SSSG (Shipboard Scientific Support Group) have had a lot to do. Not necessarily because we’ve been swamped with work but also because we have had the time to work on things since there hasn’t been any scientific operations. I’ve helped:

  • Fix leaks in underway seawater systems
  • Re-terminate the CTD cable
  • Turn on the acoustic instruments and edited procedures on how to turn on, operate, and save data from the instruments

Personally, I have been familiarizing myself with the Linux system, as well as its formating and commands.

On Day 5 we made it to deep enough international waters where we could do some tests on the acoustic releases that will be deployed with the new moorings. The science party attached acoustic releases to the CTD and brought it down to ~1000 m where they then attempted to communicate with each release to see if it’s functioning. Then once the CTD was back on deck they checked the release mechanisms to ensure that the acoustic releases are fully functional before they attached them to the new moorings. Everyone was anticipating the CTD station because there have been 0 science operations for the past 4-5 days.

This past night I was allowed to assist watch on the bridge from 1800 – 2400 and received a crash course in bridge related topics/instrumentation from the 3rd Mate. It was a great opportunity to learn about ship operations. I plan on assisting more watches on the bridge throughout the rest of the crews.

On a side note, the most wonderful thing happens aboard this ship at 2:30pm every day, and that thing is Cheese Thirty where we are all blessed with divine cheese and meat platters by our gracious stewards! Also, some scientists are crossword enthusiasts (as am I) and we all have been doing crossword puzzles in our downtime.

Early tomorrow morning we finally arrive at the Irminger Sea Array and can finally start science operations! More exciting news to follow.

 

~Lauren

P.S. Sorry for the lack of photos, I was having a hard time uploading them with my current internet connection.