Time has been slipping through my fingers like so many grains of sand, especially on this cruise. And just like that, the penultimate dive day is upon us all. There are no words to encapsulate the experience of working on the Alvin Ops team and with the amazing scientists and boat crew! I will have the whole of transit to get used to the idea of leaving, but I definitely am already a lil misty just thinkin about it.
Author: Emilia Topp-Johnson Page 1 of 2
“Day after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.”
– The Rime of The Ancient Mariner
It is a good thing this version of the R/V Atlantis isn’t a sailboat. With land in sight and the sea of Cortez, we are diving Alvin in an extremely flat sea, which is extremely beautiful. The reality below the surface is less tranquil, with exciting evidence of recent destructive seismic events. It was very cool to hear the accounts of this exciting development immediately upon recovery of Alvin and see the videos of this dynamic area of the ocean floor in the science meeting later tonight. The kind of research communities present on research vessels is unparalleled and a joy to be a part of.
We are back into the routine – and I could not be happier! The ritual of preparing the sub for launch before the sun comes up – and recovering it before dinner is an incredibly rewarding way to structure the day on a ship. The Alvin team is singularly lucky in that the entire team is awake and working during the same periods, as opposed to having different watches. On top of that, only diving during daylight hours allows us to have a relatively normal schedule. The Joye cruise is a very interesting mix of science and promises to be exciting and educational.
Many days have passed since the last blog post, but less sea time than expected. The inevitable logistical challenges of conducting international research had us awaiting visas in port for an extra week, which was terminated by a last-minute scramble to LA and back to be processed and issued documents. So turn the halting gears of diplomacy. Once we were on the water, we were doing anything but halting as we booked it to the sea of Cortez, tossing and turning and ultimately cutting our transit time in half. Luckily, there are no speed traps in da sea. One happy consequence of the delay in transit is that we were closer to the path of the eclipse than we intended to be, so while we did not see totality we did see some-taility. Luckily, many forward-thinking scientists have obtained eclipse glasses. It was a cool way to spend the last day before dives!
We have arrived back on shore for an 11 day maintenance period in sunny San Deigo. But while the arrival back on shore has some major perks (increased access to snacks, to name one) it is altogether bittersweet. The reason being that we are saying goodbye to the McDermont science team! Their enthusiasm and joie de vivre about underwater volcanism were contagious, and something to look forward to during downtime on the ship. I sincerely hope our paths will cross again. There is much to do in the meantime, both recreationally and work-ationally. I am signing off for now to go get some cake and tacos. Peace and love.
The diving period is officially over! The last recovery has been completed, the samples have been processed, the spiky sea bottom rock is in the process of being swept away. We have moved our standup back two hours (now at 8:00) and are slowly adjusting back to a normal workday. That being said, there is plenty to do! The 6-month maintenance period of the submersible is upon us, and therefore a bunch of systems need to be inspected, assessed and in some cases, replaced to the satisfaction of the US Navy. It is a fun time full of wonder, and a lot of paperwork. Long live ALVIN, long live the MATE internship.
As hard as it is to believe, the last dive day of ALVIN for this cruise is upon us! It is an engineering dive, with one of the most exciting objectives being taking one of my co-workers in the electrical shop on his first dive. The theme: Scott Dive. The scientific rationale: to answer a question that has plagued the minds of the masses since man first walked upright in the sun: what if Scott Dove? I know that someday (tomorrow) the sun will shine on a world where we know the answer to that question. For now, I complete my daily tasks to prepare the sub for its noble mission with its brave observer (Scott), knowing that I join ranks of history’s greatest support staff. Was it the same determination, the same pride that took root in the hearts of the laborers that nailed the planks of the HMS Beagle? The same professional poise on the brow of the uber driver that drove the Wright Brothers to the airport? During a visit to NASA in 1962, President John F. Kennedy walked up to a janitor and said “Hi, I’m Jack Kennedy. What are you doing?” to which the janitor famously responded, “Well, Mr. President, I am helping put a man on the moon.” Well, Mr. President I am helping put a Scott in a sub.
We were falling into our groove this week on the ALVIN team and by our increasing comfort with the basics of launching and recovering the sub, responsibilities incrementally expanded. For me, this included the new and coveted task of throwing the tow line during the recovery process. In recovery, a small boat (a Zodiac) is deployed with a team of swimmers from the RV Atlantis, with the objective of preparing the sub for recovery once it surfaces. It is an intricate choreography with many steps beyond the scope of practice of an intern. Part of the on-deck duties related to sub recovery is throwing the tow line, which attaches the sub to the back of the ship and brings it into position. This allows for attachment of all of the accouterment which allows for the sub to be lifted back onto the ship. I have never been called the Walter Johnson of my generation, so I found the prospect of throwing the tow line off the back of the ship to be intimidating. It turns out, I was in a “League of My Own,” by which I mean I did an acceptable job and threw it sufficiently far to allow the recovery process to continue. Truly a win for interns everywhere. I cannot wait for the parade in my honor. I would like to thank the Academy and the MATE Program for making this day possible.
All is well aboard the R/V Atlantis. Fair seas and favorable launching conditions greeted us this morning, so the first launch of ALVIN took place. It is crazy to be involved with the launch of ALVIN and to help vent scientists with their objectives. What an incredible privilege to do a day of work with an incredible team of engineers and then go eat some lunch with brilliant biologists, geologists, physicists, and chemists in the middle of the ocean! C’est la vie for a MATE intern.
My fellow intern Noah Bourassa and I arrived at Golfito and joined up with the RV Atlantis and the ALVIN team. The first thing we did was help load up the steel weights – which is how stuff headed to the bottom of the ocean manages to get there and (importantly) come back up. Once those were piled up and secured, we had some time to learn the ropes and relax. This included a tour of the ALVIN personnel sphere and an overview of the electrical team’s responsibilities. We had a day off to explore Golfito, and settle in before we push off!
