Author: Hannah Klooster

This is the last week of my internship experience aboard the R/V Sikuliaq. In fact, today we have left the Jason ROV’s worksites area and have now begun the last leg of our journey that started in San Diego and went up the west coast to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

There have been seven Jason dives on this trip. Due to the transformer breaking and also due to weather issues, the Jason group was not able to dive as many times as they wanted to. However, we were able to get other data, such as multiple CTD’s, Multibeam surveys, and underway data.

I have been assisting with the CTD deployments, XBT’s deployments, and an extra assistant for the Jason deployments. I have also learned how to monitor the data received from the sensors, sonars, and other instruments and how to tell bad/abnormal data from good/normal data. I have learned many other things as well, such as; basic maritime knots, how to create a water-tight cable splice, and how to manage and save data. I was even able to fly the Jason around for a little while (picture attached below).

This experience has taught me more than just technical skills. It has taught me about living life on the water and the pros and cons of it. It has also taught me how to live and work well with many other people all stuck together in one 216 foot long space. It has been a great learning experience that I couldn’t have gained in many other places.

I am quite saddened to be going home and having to end this awesome experience. Despite the issues with the Jason ROV, this cruise went very well. No one was injured, there were no major issues on board, and everyone seemed to have a great time.

Despite the fact that I will be boarding a plane and going home in two days’ time, I know that this is an experience that I will carry with me and that will influence my life for many years to come. It is the end of this cruise and of this internship, but it is only the beginning of my career on the water. I am truly honored to have been given this wonderful opportunity to be a part of this R/V Sikuliaq cruise. It has been quite the adventure!

 -Hannah Klooster

The Jason ROV is all fixed and ready to go! We left Newport, Oregon, yesterday morning at 11:00 am and reached station for the Jason ROV’s worksite 01 around 4:30 pm yesterday afternoon. The Jason’s first dive took place at 4:00 am this morning. Before it was deployed, the Jason group had to calibrate the USBL on the centerboard deployed underneath the ship using triangulation.

The Jason ROV is bigger than any ROV I have personally worked with before, so it was quite exciting to be a part of. The live feed of the Jason’s cameras are broadcasted on multiple different televisions throughout the ship, so everyone can watch what’s happening. It is all quite incredible to finally see everything working.

 – Hannah Klooster

Today we had planned to reach the first of six worksites for the Jason ROV. However, a change in plans was called for when the transformer for the Jason ROV failed. A replacement has been shipped and we will pick it up in Newport, Oregon. Instead of just going into dock at Newport, it was decided instead that we would do some Multi-Beam Sonar survey grids and some CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth) profiles for the six worksites. This will be the first time for me deploying the CTD, so I am quite excited.

Since my last post, I have done quite a bit aboard the R/V Sikuliaq. I have performed, with my mentor Steve, three XBT’s (Expendable Bathythermograph’s – to determine the speed of sound in a column of water). I have also been using the EM302 Multi-Beam Sonar program, the Olex 3D mapping program, and the TOPAS Sub-Sea Depth Profiler program.

I have, as of yesterday, passed the one week marker of living aboard the Sikuliaq. So far, it has been quite the adventure. This internship has marked the longest that I have ever been away from home as well as being a milestone in my schooling career, due to the knowledge that I have already gained in just one week’s time. In my down time, I have spent quite a bit of time on deck and on the bridge, watching for whales and/or dolphins. They have proved, however, to be quite elusive. I do hope that in the coming days before my internship is over, that I will at least see one whale.

I am not sure how long it will take before the Jason ROV is back up and running, and is ready to be deployed onto the worksites, but until that time, it looks like we will have plenty to do and monitor.

I have also attached a photo of myself in front of the Jason ROV taken by my mentor, Steven Hartz.

Alright, I promised an update and since this is the last day in San Diego before the R/V Sikuliaq departs, I figured it was a good time for one. I landed in San Diego on the 25^th of May around 11:00. I was picked up from the airport by my mentor, Steven Hartz, who gave me a brief tour of San Diego before we went to the ship. I was a little nervous, but everyone that I have met on the R/V Sikuliaq has been kind and very helpful. Steve gave me a tour of the ship and after only getting lost once, I think I have finally learned my way around; the R/V Sikuliaq is honestly larger than I thought it was going to be.

I have now spent two full days on the ship assisting where I can as everyone is preparing to leave port. It has been a bit hectic and crowded on deck and so far there hasn’t been too much for me to do. I’ve helped out with unloading boxes of food for the voyage, loading a box with a float for the Jason onto the crane, and lowering the Center Board with the transducer into the Safe position. I have also been learning about the different computer programs and systems that the R/V Sikuliaq has, such as the Olex 3D mapping system and all of the CCTV security cameras. Steve has also had me reading about different subjects and technologies on the ship, such as Serial Ports and the Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler.

I have spent time walking around deck and was also able to get off the ship for a while and bike around San Diego and Coronado Island, which were both amazing. The San Diego area is beautiful and with the temperature at around 60-65 degrees, it’s perfect. However, I am more than ready to finally “set sail” and truly begin my internship.    

Until next time, 

– Hannah Klooster

Hello Everyone!

My name is Hannah Klooster. I am currently a student at Northwestern Michigan College in the Marine Technology Bachelors program. I just completed my second year of school, so I still have a few more years before my instruction will be complete.

I am only a few days away from flying out to San Diego where I will be boarding the University of Alaska’s R/V Sikuliaq. The past few days have been a bit hectic, but also very exciting; making sure that I had all of the necessary documents complete for my internship and as I begin to pack.

In my college courses, I have had technological experience with a few different sonar and ROV systems. I am very excited for this opportunity to broaden my education and experiences. I am also quite honored to have been chosen for this internship and am greatly looking forward to it.

I will be posting another entry sometime later this week, after I have arrived in San Diego and have settled on the R/V Sikuliaq.

-Hannah Klooster