Author: Nicholas Ellis

Greetings! I have just completed the fourth and final week of my internship with the Alvin Group aboard the Atlantis. It’s been an incredible time packed with new experiences, new friends, and the discovery of a large coral reef off the coast of South Carolina!

(Note: All previous posts have been updated with pictures taken while at sea. Enjoy!)

Wednesday was our third to last dive, and pre-dive/launch went very smoothly. We woke up early and got everything done ahead of schedule, so I was able to enjoy a bit of the sunset as well. During Alvin’s dive, I worked to clean the mech shop once more and also worked on cleaning some of the corroded tools and chain binders in the hangar. I used wire brushes to scrub all of the loose rust off and sprayed the larger parts down with a rust-eating chemical. I placed the smaller parts in the de-rusting bucket that was filled with a rust-eating liquid as well. After some scrubbing and re-greasing of threads, the equipment worked smoothly again. The recovery and post-dive went well and when I checked the Main Ballast Blow Box, the leak seemed to have stopped. We were able to knock off early since we got the post-dive checks done very quickly and managed to update the basket with ease. After some hangar cleanup, I knocked off and enjoyed playing a game of Settlers of Catan with Max and Nick to end the day.

Thursday was a long day due to some miscommunication with the plans on what was needed on the basket. The pre-dive and launch went well, and afterwards I worked on cleaning the rust off of more chain binders. I also went to top lab (room next to the bridge where someone is always stationed to communicate with the sub) to learn about the electrical systems on Alvin and how Alvin is powered. Bruce explained that there are many different ways of diagnosing electrical problems by isolating certain parts of the system and running down the line of components that could have failed. From the schematic we could see that Alvin’s electrical systems were very symmetrical and were full of safeties and alternative ways to work different parts of the sub. I also learned about the mercury trim system which consists of a pair of balls in the front and back of Alvin containing mercury and oil. The oil is pumped back and forth to displace the mercury and move it to adjust the sub’s trim. The system also includes check valves and relief valves in order to make the moving the mercury in one direction easier. After the sub recovery and post-dive checks, Nick and I worked on making a deployable camera stand so that Alvin could take a picture of itself during the next day’s dive. It had a weight plate base and used speed-rail joints as the mounting platform for the camera which was hose-clamped to the stand. The idea was that the sub would take this out of the basket and place it down onto a surface and then back away for the camera shot.

Friday was our last dive of the cruise. It was a special day because I realized that the cruise was coming to an end, and tried to cherish the last moments I would have. It was interesting because I felt that I had been at sea for much longer than I had been and knew I was going to miss my time at sea with Alvin. Nevertheless, we started the day by going through our pre-dive checks and prepping Alvin for the day. Per tradition, I also decorated a foam cup that would be placed in a bag and strapped to Alvin. We did this so that when Alvin returned from the dive, we would get a shrunken cup souvenir from the water pressure. After cleaning the windows for a final time, we rolled Alvin out onto the aft deck and attached the necessary weights. The launch went well and afterwards we power-washed the hangar. When it was time to prepare for Alvin’s recovery at about 1700, we gathered all the necessary tools and equipment out onto the aft deck. The final recovery went smoothly, but instead of giving Alvin a freshwater hose down, we stripped all the skins off and scrubbed them down with soap and gave Alvin a power wash until she was clean. Afterwards, we rolled her back into the hangar and went to have dinner. Since it was the final dive, we were able to knock off early (around 1830) and celebrate/relax. That night some of us sat out on the bow and watched the lightning light up the night sky and the dark waves.

Saturday was a day of transit as we didn’t have any more dives and worked to clean the mech shop and hangar. Since it wasn’t a dive day, we started the day at 0800 and worked on storing/taking stock of materials that we would need for the next Alvin cruise. We also worked on figuring out why our spare Titan manipulator was acting sluggish. We set up the manipulator on a testing bench and I watched as Bruce and Danik tested to see if any of the issues were caused by the master arm. Afterwards, Danik changed out the main board in the arm that connects and controls all of the servo valves for the joints to see if it was an electrical problem. We did not find that it was an issue of the master arm or the electrical board, which helped us progress further into diagnosing the issue with the arm. After some discussion, everyone decided it would be best to wait until we got back to Woods Hole to figure out the issue. Todd also showed me some footage he had from his days of working on Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicles with the Navy. It was very interesting to see the way they conducted their operations and hearing about all the exercises and work they did around the world. Overall, it was a very relaxed day that consisted of housekeeping and some manipulator diagnostics.

On Sunday, we arrived in Woods Hole at around 0930. It was the first time I had seen a land formation in about two weeks, and the sun was shining down on us. As we pulled into port, everyone watched from the side of the ship as we approached all the smaller ship traffic in the area and I watched as all the smaller boats sped around us. When we finally approached WHOI, the crew worked on tossing mooring lines to workers on the dock and set up the steps and gangway for people to begin loading and unloading equipment. Science had spent the previous day and night packing and preparing to offload their gear. When we were completely docked, we carried aboard new supplies for the next cruise and spent much of the day storing them in the forward van and in the mech shop. The starboard crane was also being used a lot to carry many crates off the aft deck. At the same time, the crew were prepping parts of the Atlantis for the upcoming ROV Jason cruise. After bringing aboard new supplies and offloading our old supplies, I worked with Danik and Jefferson to clean the forward van and organize the materials/consumables inside. It was a fairly short day since we had just finished the cruise, and we knocked off at about 1400. In the evening, we had a barbecue hosted by the scientists to celebrate a successful cruise and the discovery of a large coral reef.

Monday was my final day at WHOI with the Alvin Group. It was a very short day of work since it was Labor Day. The first part of the day consisted of completing some of the six month maintenance checklist. Nick and I worked to inspect and clean the emergency sleeping bags as well as the lithium hydroxide emergency CO2 scrubbers. After doing that, we worked on cleaning out our rooms to make sure that they were prepared for the next cruise. It was strange feeling knowing that I would be leaving the ship and going back to school soon. I reflected for a bit on everything I just experienced in the last month and the profound things I learned about myself and the world of marine engineering/science over the course of this internship. After we were all done with our work, we had dinner at a restaurant in Woods Hole, and said our farewells.

Looking back at this past month, I can honestly say that I’ve had the time of my life and have learned plenty of new skills. I’ve learned more about what it means to work on a tight-knit team to ensure that Alvin works properly and is safely launched/recovered, and I’ve learned what it’s like to live and work at sea. I loved learning about and working with the sub’s hydraulics systems and finding out about the reasons why Alvin works the way it does. I feel that I’ve also developed a better work ethic from this experience as well as a stronger interest in marine engineering and operations. I am grateful to have been a part of this cruise and will never forget the people I’ve met and the lessons I’ve learned from this experience. Thanks for following my experiences with the Alvin Group as we sailed along the East Coast aboard the R/V Atlantis!

-Nick Ellis

Greetings! I’ve now completed my third week aboard the R/V Atlantis and have spent the whole week at sea as we travel down to the coast of Florida. My third week has consisted of many sub launches and recoveries, as well as adjusting to life at sea.

Tuesday was a dive day, so we woke up early and got to work on the pre-dive checks. I worked on windows mainly and securing tools and containers on the collection basket. The day was very similar to Monday, except that the dive wasn’t cut short. When we recovered the sub, however, there were many squid trapped inside the skins and in the cabling. I immediately found and took out three squid that measured about 18 inches each and gave them to the scientists. I later learned that they planned on taking stable isotopes from the squid to eventually be able to know at what tropic level they were eating. Finding the squid in the sub was the highlight of my day because I did not expect to see such a thing.

Wednesday was going to be a dive day, but due to high winds we were not able to launch and had to scratch the dive. Instead, we worked on maintenance and some projects that we had waiting. I worked on clearing out the rest of the squid from Alvin’s skins and frame and spent about two to three hours on it. The squid were starting to stink up the hangar, and in total I found eight squid (including the ones from yesterday). I also saw a massive car carrier ship about a mile and a half away from us which was interesting because I didn’t think that I would see other ships during the cruise. Nick and I worked to clean the mech shop and we also stowed more supplies in the hold/forward van. Danik and Nick got the broken Titan 4 working again and we mounted it on Alvin to test the hydraulics. In the evening, I went up to visit Kenny and Raul at the bridge, and Kenny explained to me what they use their different instruments for. I learned that many of the tools aboard are redundancies for double and triple checking things like heading, obstacles, and weather. Kenny also showed me the paper map that they use to track and map their course. The view was spectacular and though it was very cloudy, we could see the sky lit up by lightning and the moonlight reflect into the water.

Thursday was a dive day in search of coral samples. The water was dead calm and the sky was a clear blue and dotted with spectacular clouds. With more sun, the water was sort of glowing a deep blue color as it lapped against the ship. The Alvin launch went smoothly and we knocked off at 1000. I explored the ship a little more and relaxed for a bit, then at about 1630 Alvin surfaced and we began our recovery process. I was able to participate more in it because I had been watching previous times. I hosed down the sub with freshwater and helped test the hydraulic lines for any saltwater leakage. I also inspected some of the junction boxes for leakage and the skins for deformities. Watching the scientists unload their samples of coral was very exciting, and I even got a small piece of lophelia coral which is a deep-water coral. Afterwards I went to the bow to enjoy the sunset and all the clouds that surrounded it. It was a sight to behold and looked just like a painting with the some clouds towering over us and others smudged across the purple/orange sky.

I was surprised when Friday came around because I wasn’t keeping track of the days while at sea. I heard this would happen, and that I would only know days as dive days/non-dive days. Anyways, today was a dive day and we did pre-dive as usual. The winds were strong and the ship was rolling and pitching a lot today, but everything went smoothly. Afterwards, I organized the mech shop until about 1000 when I got to take a three hour break. Afterwards, I helped with post-dive and was able to learn/do a new task which was to throw the tow line to the small boat and call out when it was secure. I also sprayed down Alvin, checked all of the oil lines for saltwater leakage, and inspected the junction boxes near the sail (plastic orange piece up top). After that, I helped Nick do some inventory on what consumables we had and what we had to order for the next cruise. We checked around the hold and the forward van for the necessary supplies, and by the time we finished that everyone else was already done with setting up the basket. This meant that we were able to finish the day quite early today (at 1630) which left plenty of time to unwind, enjoy the sunset off the bow and rest up.

On Saturday we woke up early to do the pre-dive checks and I was surprised by the lovely sunset that was off the starboard side of the ship. It was a great mixture of oranges, blues, and purples and the sun was partially obscured by some clouds which made the light reflect nicely. Interestingly, I realized that the sun was rising off the starboard side of the ship and remembered that just the night before it had set on the same side. I was baffled for a split second and then realized we must’ve changed our direction. I found it surprising that I did not feel anything or notice that we had flipped around. The dive went well and Alvin brought up many samples including some bamboo coral which looked just like bamboo but slightly lighter in color. Danik also trained me to use the lathe and the mill, which was a good refresher for me, and we worked on turning/milling a camera handle for a member of the camera crew. I learned that the process of putting the grip marks on a handle is called knurling which is done with a special tool on the lathe. After recovering the sub, we completed the post-dive and worked re-tool the basket. We knocked off around 2030 and after playing a game of chess with Max, I went to sleep.

Sunday was a dive day and a day full of side projects. By now we were diving off the coast of Florida and Georgia. I got to work on cleaning the windows and helped complete the pre-dive. After Alvin had commenced its dive down in the Gulf Stream, Nick and I got to work on unclogging the sink in our mech shop. We started by using wire to remove debris from inside the upper part of the plumbing and removed one of the plugs on the side of the piping. After cleaning out the debris there, the sink was still plugged so we asked a crewmember to help us and he ended up fixing it. After break, I worked on building a small PVC table for a member of the science crew and turned the legs on the lathe to get them to fit snugly inside the table-top. When I had finished my lathing work it was time to recover the sub, so I went to the aft deck to prep everything. I set out a hose for the freshwater cleaning, some tools for removing panels and some oil bottles with Swagelock connectors to test the oil drainage connections on Alvin. After watching the recovery go smoothly, I got to work on the post-dive and hosed off Alvin, checked the Swagelock connectors for any leaks, and inspected the buoyancy/skins for any damage. I also inspected and greased the lifting T once Alvin was rolled back into the hangar and helped with unload. After dinner, I finished work on the PVC table and glued the legs into their proper sockets. By then it was time to knock off and relax for the rest of the evening which consisted of playing a game of Settlers of Catan with Nick and Max.

On Monday we had a dive and completed all of our pre-dive checks. After the sub was in the water, I worked on scrubbing the hangar down with Jake and later worked to sort the drawers of tools in the mech shop. The time for sub on surface (SOS) was 1700, so we prepared the aft deck for the recovery and post-dive. I worked on testing all of the hydraulic oil lines, inspecting the various junction boxes for leaks, and inspecting the lifting T. It turned out to be a very late night for some of the ops group because they found a ground in the main ballast tanks. Grounds are undesirable and must be avoided because they lead to corrosion on the sub’s body and shorting. I learned that Alvin can be operated as long as there are five or fewer of these grounds. Some of the more senior members of the group stayed up late working down the line of things that could have caused the ground. In the end, they found that they had to change out a sphere penetrator which is what caused the fix to take so long. The sphere penetrators must be handled and maintained carefully because they are some of the few things that create holes in the sphere.

On Tuesday we had our fourth to last dive. When I came out at 0530 to clean the windows, I expected the sub to still need working on from the previous night, but it was all put together. The launch and dive went well, and while we were on break (waiting for Alvin to complete its dive) my mentor Bruce told about how he had seen a swordfish drop coral on the sub in a sort of aggressive attack. He found it interesting because he had never seen such behavior. I learned that swordfish are often eaten by giant squid, so it was possible that the swordfish thought Alvin was predator like the squid. During recovery and post-dive I found some water had leaked into the Main Ballast Blow Box, and notified Jefferson. After inspecting it, he decided to watch for a couple more dives to see if the issue got worse and the old box needed repairs. I worked until about 2030 with Todd and Bruce on setting up the new basket for Wednesday’s dive and securing various crates of tools such as collections of push cores, the slurp (vacuum), bio boxes, niskins for water samples, and mussel pots for collecting mussel-populated patches of earth.

Thanks for reading this week’s update about my internship with the Alvin Group! On this cruise, I’ve learned so much about how Alvin is maintained, tested, and operated. I’ve also learned quite a bit about life at sea and the continuous work that must be done to maintain the R/V Atlantis and Alvin.

Greetings! I’ve completed my second week aboard the R/V Atlantis and we’ve just finished the first two days of our cruise along the East Coast. My second week has consisted of continued preparation for the cruise, and I’ve also included information about my first two days at sea!

Monday I woke up early and started the day with the usual briefing meeting. It was kind of funny because the focus of much of the team’s work/discussion was fixing the Titan 4 manipulator, and I happened to have a shirt from Schilling with a diagram of the Titan on the back. One could say that I wore it for good luck. After briefing, I got to work cleaning the entire mech shop in preparation for the Titan to be taken to the shop. It was greasy, dirty work but I enjoyed it and was pleased with the result afterwards. The shop was in good shape and I worked on the cleaning the rusting tools with de-rusting chemicals and then cleaning and coating them with a protective spray. I found this interesting because I didn’t really realize that tools would corrode quickly like everything else in a marine environment. Afterwards I did some small jobs here and there to help out like inventory and storing things in the hold. I also was able to re-install the sphere cushions in Alvin and got to see what it looked like completely furbished. It looked comfy and small, but I could imagine that the view from the crystal clear acrylic portholes must be well worth it. After that, I worked with Max to mount a new 4K camera onto the forearm of the ISE manipulator. After that, 1630 came around the corner, so I stopped working and headed to dinner. The rest of the night consisted of relaxation and increased excitement about leaving port to begin the cruise.

Tuesday was pretty fun and relaxing. I started the day by gathering all of the emergency breathing masks in the sub and bringing them out for inspection and maintenance. I then watched the more senior members of the mech team figure out how to disassemble the Titan 4 manipulator (which was in the mech shop) at its elbow to figure out why it was stalling when the forearm was stalling out. I was also able to find and look at the CAD drawing of the joint disassembled and follow along with where they were at. Later, I helped mount the spare Titan 4 manipulator on the port side of Alvin which was hooked up for hydraulics testing and seemed to work well. This was good because it took the time crunch out of rebuilding the other manipulator since we now have one that works. Max and I worked on checking all of the compensation bladders in the thrusters to make sure that oil levels met our standards. We did this by poking a small rod down a hole (of known length) and stopping once we touched the bladder, then measuring the actual length it took to reach the bladder. In one of the thrusters, the oil seemed low so we decided to pump some more oil into its system. I learned that there are three different types of oils used on Alvin. Carnation oil is used for compensation in most electronics containers and cables, hydraulic fluid is used for all hydraulic purposes/compensation fluid for moveable parts, and brayco micronic is used as a fire-resistant oil. I also helped to work on some more inventory and stashing supplies in the hold. Towards the end of the work day, I helped begin maintenance on the Observation Vehicle (OV) which is a very simple ROV that is meant to only observe Alvin. I also helped untangle the tow cable that attaches to the OV. Tuesday’s work consisted of many smaller jobs since the Titan 4’s repair was of highest importance. After taking apart the joint, some of the mech team (Jefferson, Danik, and Nick) concluded by looking at the different components and seals that what happened was there was leakage in one of the elbow’s seals. To move the forearm forward and backwards, hydraulic oil is pumped through one compartment of the elbow allowing for pressure and movement in one direction, while pressure in the other compartment allows for movement in the reverse direction.  Symptoms included that when approaching the 90 degree position, the pressure in the elbow would decrease and the arm would stall. After ruling out any electrical issues (valves and the resolver) it was determined that when pressure in the elbow reached a certain threshold, fluid would leak from the one section of the elbow into the other, creating the slight loss of pressure in the elbow that was found and preventing the arm from going higher. Nick worked on replacing the faulty seals and reassembling the Titan for final testing.

Wednesday was slower than most because much of the mech leadership was out participating in a testing event for an upcoming pilot. I started the day by inspecting and wiping down the transducers mounted on Alvin, and afterwards I got training for the ‘extra guy’ position. The extra guy is in charge of prepping cameras, memory cards, blankets, towels, lunches, and CO2 scrubbers to be loaded into Alvin before launch. He works in conjunction with the pilot to make sure that Alvin’s interior is ready for the day’s dive. CO2 scrubbers are basically canisters filled with a pebble-like filter that cleans the excess CO2 out of the air. After that, I helped load the ship’s food into the freezer, cold storage, and pantry. It was an interesting and fast-paced operation because we had to load all of the frozen/cold store food before it melted/went bad. Much of the crew and the ops guys helped out to form a chain of people passing food from the freight elevator to storage. There were things ranging from kitchen supplies to meats, cheeses, vegetables, and even a large slab of chocolate. After lunch, I compiled pictures taken of the Titan 4 during disassembly and created a visual reconstruction manual to make rebuilding the Titan easier and as accurate as possible. After doing that I had free time until 1630 (when work ends), so I read through some of the Titan 4 manual and looked through some of the diagrams/drawings of the various parts/systems. I also tried to understand Alvin’s hydraulic systems more — specifically the compensation systems. I looked at some hydraulics schematics for the box filled with brayco micronic oil and containing the battery connections. I learned that in most of the compensation systems, there are 4 routes for the oil: the bladder, fill, drain, and vent. The bladder is the part that is filled with oil and as ocean pressure increases, it squeezes the bladder forcing the oil in the electronics box to match the outside pressure. The fill point is where new oil is pumped into the box while the vent is at the top where any air can escape during the filling process. The drain point can double as a fill point, but is installed to allow water (which is denser than the oil used) to sink and drain out of the box if necessary. After reading for a bit, it was time for dinner where I had some delicious scallops cooked in lemon and garlic, and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Thursday was a bit slow, but I mainly worked on mounting the large basket to the front of Alvin. First, we bolted the frame in and then bolted in the HDPE grating that sits over the frame. Afterwards, we attached skids to the bottom of the frame and tested its weight capacity. The basket is designed to carry about 400 pounds of weight and can also be supported by two suspension cables. In addition to this, the basket can also be released from the sub should it become entangled in anything. The bracket it is mounted to is attached to the sub via two frangibolts which are bolts that can be broken if necessary. Frangibolts are a safer version of explosive bolts and function by thermally activating a certain compound that expands as it gets hot which snaps the bolts in a designated weak spot. I was also given the task of designing and making a new support jack for the basket to reduce the amount of stress the sub’s mounting brackets receive when people are standing/working on the basket. The new support jack is expected to be more stable and provide restraints to how tall it can get (in order not to damage the basket by wedging it up too far). I was given the previous support jack as a reference and began drawing out some new ideas and modifications to make including a grip centered directly over the jack as opposed to the side and a slot system that restricts the jack’s potential height to avoid basket damage.

On Friday I focused on three main things: getting hatch and window training, working on the new basket supporter I designed, and draining most of the air out of the compensation systems. I started out by getting window training from Jefferson which consisted of learning how to properly clean the acrylic windows on Alvin. The five viewports on Alvin need to be cleaned with great care because even a small scratch can turn into a stress point on the window at high pressures. I learned that to clean Alvin’s viewports you need to first wipe away any grit carefully and then use a kimwipe with a polishing agent to remove marks left on the window. After wiping it all away and inspecting the window thoroughly for scratches and dents, the windows are good to go. Alvin’s viewports are interesting themselves because they taper down into the sphere. This is because as Alvin goes deeper into the ocean, the windows are pressed into their sockets by the sea pressure making the o-rings useless at such depths. I also learned how to grease the hatch and prepare it for use. This method is also incredibly important and requires a careful greasing/inspection of the o-ring and all mating surfaces. When not in use, the surfaces are covered by protective plastic rings to avoid scratches and dents. As far as my design for the basket supporter, I was able to find the necessary parts and spent the day taking measurements and working on the basket jack. I was also able to include rubber padding on the basket grip to help preserve its paintjob and provide a little flexibility as far as exact height. For the rest of the day, I helped Jefferson and Drew remove the air bubbles from the compensation lines in the starboard manipulator and the junction box. We did this by having a vent valve open at the highest point and providing oil pressure at the bottom so that the air would find its way out of the system. Getting rid of as much air as possible from the oil systems is important because air is much more compressible than oil which causes problems when it comes to the maintaining a consistent compensation system.

Saturday was full of final preparations for the upcoming cruise. Most of the day, I worked to organize the mech shop and the Alvin hangar as well as stow all loose items. Stowing all loose items, I learned, is very important because the ship is constantly rocking and if there are rough seas, things can be thrown everywhere and even break. It was a pretty busy day, but there was a lot of excitement in the air for the cruise.

On Sunday I woke up at 0530 to see the ship leave port. It was incredible to see the ship slowly pull out of Woods Hole right as the day began. After Woods Hole fade away in the distance, I went back to sleep and later woke up to start the work day. It was a full day of work that included safety briefings, science basket preparations, and final touches on Alvin. I started the work day by helping measure the water weight of objects that would be mounted on the science basket. We did this with a fish scale and large bin of saltwater and the expedition leader used the data figure out what kind of adjustments we should make to Alvin to accommodate the weight. I also worked on mounting various tools onto the basket that the science team brought which included ore samplers, vacuum pumps, and collection cases. I found it incredibly interesting that all of this equipment had to be made in a way that interfaced well with the manipulators. Later, I bolted on Alvin’s skins which are thin pieces of plastic/fiberglass that make up its outer shell. This was the first time I had seen Alvin fully equipped and ready to dive. I also worked on helping Drew (an electrical technician) clear more air out of the compensation systems and also learned through experience that clearing air out of all the oil systems is a very time consuming task. The process basically consists of raising the various oil-filled cables so that the air bubbles will float to the top and then opening a vent to allow the air to escape while pumping in new oil to displace it. We also had our safety briefing where we learned protocols and stations for ship emergencies. One of the things we did was try on immersion suits (gumby suits) that each person had to protect them from the harsh ocean environment if we had to abandon ship. These suits were very bulky, but were very snug and warm, which I suppose are good things when lost at sea. Overall, we ended the work day around 2130 which was my longest day so far. It was understandable of course because we needed to make sure everything was ready for the diving to begin in the morning.

Since Monday was a dive day, we got to work at 0530 in preparation for our first dive at 0800. We all took part in the pre-dive checks which included cleaning the windows, hatch, testing components, and loading the sub with its necessary in-hull equipment/consumables. As part of the pre-dive I cleaned all of the windows with window polish, bolted on the remaining skins and helped load equipment like sphere blankets and food into the sub. When we were ready to launch, I got to operate the sled mechanism which rolled Alvin out on tracks leading to the A-frame. When that was finished I dawned a safety helmet and a lifejacket to help with the final preparations. I watched as others loaded weights onto the sides using wheel-mounted winches that helped them lift the weights under that attachment points. These weights are used to get Alvin to sink down and are dropped when the pilot wants to return to the surface. Right before diving, someone must pull six safety pins and show them to the pilot in order to confirm that the weights are primed for release. After wheeling Alvin out all the way, I watched as the A-frame was lowered and the main line guided down to the T piece on Alvin. After all lines were attached, Alvin was lowered into the water with Max/Todd (the swimmers). I watched as the swimmers finished their work in the water and made their way to the small boat that would bring them back to the Atlantis. Then Alvin slowly lowered beneath the waves and began its dive. While waiting for Alvin to finish its dive, Nick and I cleaned the hangar out as well as the mech shop then had some lunch. We also visited the top deck where someone is always monitoring the position and keeping in contact with Alvin. The top deck is at the same level as the bridge, so there was an amazing view of the horizon and I could see seemingly forever. A couple of hours later, the Alvin dive was cut short due to lack of good visibility and strong currents that the sub had to contend with. Per protocol, Alvin surfaced off the side of Atlantis’ bow where swimmers went out and attached a tow line. The Atlantis then moved forward past Alvin so that Alvin would end up behind Atlantis. After the sub was reeled in enough, swimmers attached the main cable and other necessary lines to the sub and the A-frame raised it out of the water and placed it onto the sled. I helped clean off Alvin and moved it back into the hangar where we proceeded to complete a post-dive check. This post dive check consisted of re-adjusting anything that might have changed during the dive and checking the hydraulic/compensation lines for leaks. I helped unload some of the equipment from the basket that the scientists needed and helped test the torque on the frangibolts around the sub. I also helped unload the used equipment from inside Alvin and learned more about testing/maintaining the hydraulics systems after each dive.

Thanks for reading and joining me in my adventure aboard the R/V Atlantis with the Alvin Group! I look forward to seeing many more dives and learning as much as I can about the hard work put into making Alvin operational.

Hello everyone! I have just completed my first week working as an intern at WHOI with the Alvin Ops Group. I’ve had a blast so far and I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Monday, August 6 was the start of my first internship! After flying to Boston from Sacramento, I arrived at 0620 in the morning and boarded a bus to Woods Hole. As I got off the bus, I saw some white-green buildings towering over the other buildings in town near the water. However as I moved to one side, I soon realized that the “buildings” were actually the superstructure of the R/V Atlantis. Even after reading about its size, I was not prepared for how big the Atlantis was. This would be my home for a month. After meeting with Bruce (my supervisor) and Peter, I was given a quick tour of Woods Hole’s main facilities and the Atlantis. Soon after walking on deck, I peered into the hangar and saw the one and only Alvin. I couldn’t believe that I was really on this internship, working and living aboard the Atlantis with Alvin. It’s still hard for me to take in. After setting my stuff down, I went right to work and met the other new workers/interns named Max, Nick, and Jacob. I was placed on the mechanical team and would be looking forward to working on mechanical issues with Alvin. My first day was filled with new introductions and tours. I got many tours of Alvin’s features, such as its large 60 cell batteries, its pressure compensation systems, and its Titan 4 robotic arm. I also got to meet and socialize with much of the crew, and they were very kind and inspiring in their love for the Atlantis/Alvin. The meals were delicious and proved that the cook is the most important person on the ship. After dinner, I explored the Atlantis some more and looked forward to my next day.

On Tuesday, breakfast was at 0730 (as with all non-dive work days) and it was delicious. I continued to be pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food on the ship. Afterwards, I started working at 0800 by going to the briefing meeting that the Alvin ops group was having in order to figure out what needed to be done in preparation for the cruise. Aside from helping people carry things, I was given the task of doing inventory/inspecting the emergency food/water rations for Alvin and cleaning the sphere blankets as well as taking out the sphere cushions for inspection. Jefferson, the head mechanic, was very friendly and taught me about how the Alvin group manages the maintenance of Alvin. There are lists that reference individual maintenance procedures (MPs) by using a number system. Maintenance is done pre-dive, post-dive, pre-cruise, post-cruise, every 30 days or every 20 dives, every 3 months, every 6 months, every year, and every 10 years (If I remember all of these correctly). I also learned about all of the paperwork that must be done with the Navy in order to clear someone for working on Scope of Certification (SOC) equipment/supplies. These are very controlled because SOC stuff is considered a matter of safety for the personnel within Alvin. I also helped take inventory of the new mech supplies we ordered and stored them all in the hold. From all these activities, I’ve learned that there is lots of time/care put into preparing Alvin for the cruise and much of the work is paperwork and certifications that are run through the Navy. Safety is of utmost importance. Dinner was delicious as we had some sort of barbecued brisket with spicy onions on top and barbecue sauce. It was perfect and went well with the fresh bread/salad. The day was really tiring, but I definitely learned a lot about the ops team’s organization methods.

On Wednesday, I did many different things that were all pretty fun. I got to go inside Alvin for the first time and got a safety briefing as well. It was very small and darker than I expected. The walls were also lined with safety equipment, air tanks, and tons of controls. We also began to work on attaching the two robotic arms. The port arm is a Schilling Titan 4 and the starboard arm is a Canadian ISE manipulator. This was very fun and I was surprised at how heavy the Titan was. We connected it to a pulley system which took most of the weight and we guided it into the shoulder bracket where some of us mounted it via many heavy bolts. I also learned about the O-ring organization system which is very strict because the O-rings stop water from entering the sub’s main sphere. These O-rings must be filed and tracked individually as the Navy can audit WHOI and check to see that their O-rings (SOC A level) are under proper control.

On Thursday, we focused on hooking up the hydraulics for the two manipulators and I got to learn a lot about how hydraulics systems work and what connectors are used. After observing the two more senior interns connect the hydraulics systems up, I was tasked with organizing the hoses so they would not get snagged on debris under the water. Afterwards, we tested the two arms which resulted in the comp (pressure compensator) line snapping out of its connector and squirting oil. The arm still worked and after testing, Nick (older intern) and I worked to fix the connector and reconnect everything. The other problem that we noticed with the Titan arm during testing was that it was not able to raise itself past 90 degrees and points straight out. We thought that maybe it was a leak in one of the O-ring/screws mounted at the top of the elbow or maybe it was a leaky line.

On Friday, we worked to fix the issue of the faulty Titan 4. I did not work on it much because I had many other tasks to attend to, but I kept a close eye to see what was going on. Apparently it was not a faulty line. The team began component testing and running down the line of things that could have gone wrong while testing in between to verify. We thought it was maybe a failed servo valve, but upon changing it out, we learned that was not the case. My work today mainly focused on prepping and mounting the giant titanium T that Alvin is lowered into the water with. It consists of two titanium cylinders welded together perpendicular to one another to form a T and attached at its base to Alvin’s top-center. I got the CAD image of the assembly and disassembled it. I then cleaned the two outer plates, cleaned the bolts, primed the bolts, and after a while mounted the T on Alvin. I started by greasing the center pin and then putting it through the T and its bracket. I then bolted the side plates on and used some Loctite as well.

Saturday was not a standard work day, but we still did many cool things. We started out by prepping Alvin for the public science event/showcase, and I was in charge of wiping Alvin down to make sure it was clean for everyone to see. We then bolted the basket on and put some tools on it for the showcase. Afterwards, Alvin was moved out of the hangar onto the deck and we finished setting it all up. Then Todd (the expedition leader) gave us interns each our own Alvin Ops Group shirts. I was so proud at that moment to have an actual Alvin shirt for cruise. I wore it for the rest of the day. Afterwards, Nick and I went to get some food for the cookout that would take place after the science event. We did not have to be at the science event since only the more senior members were giving tours and answering questions to guests. After the event and at the cookout, I met many working/retired employees of WHOI who had worked with Alvin, Atlantis, Jason, and Jason Jr. I was also able to talk to some of the crew of the Atlantis and get to know them more, and I was able to talk for a long time with Will Sellers who was an Alvin pilot since the Lulu days and even piloted Alvin during the exploration of the Titanic. I was also talking with Bruce, and he said to think about what it is that I want to get out of the internship and to remember it. I don’t think I could name any one thing from this internship that I want because there are so many things that I’ve learned and experienced here that I love. Before the internship, I think I would have said that I wanted work experience, but now that I’ve lived among the Atlantis/Alvin crew, I grown into thinking that I would love to make a career out of this and have also enjoyed the friendships I’ve made in just this week. All in all, I’ve been having an incredible time. I look forward with eagerness at the next week of preparation for our cruise with Alvin!

Hello everyone! My name is Nick Ellis, and I’m a rising sophomore at Santa Clara University studying mechanical engineering. In high school, I joined Jesuit Robotics and competed in the MATE International ROV Competition where I developed a special interest in underwater robotics. In the next couple of weeks I will begin my internship working aboard the R/V Atlantis with the HOV Alvin group. I am ecstatic at having this opportunity to experience firsthand what it’s like to work as a marine technician, and I cannot wait to begin work with these two historical research vessels. Throughout the internship, I’ll be posting about what I’ve learned and my new experiences at sea. Anchors aweigh!