Category: Host Page 20 of 85

The beginning of the week was spend buttoning up the transceiver room which included organizing the transducer cables we pulled onto cable trays, pulling up the hydrophone cables through the conduits, and closing the Roxblox above the conduits.

Before cable organization

Cables being sorted/organized before being woven into the cable trays

After cables were organized into the cable trays on the ceiling. Also, some excellent final touches with zip ties above and below the transceivers

Cables organized and Roxblox (seen in blue at the base of the cables) closed

Installing Roxblox

Ethan at the top of the mast helping the surveyers collect point data

The second half of the week was crunch time to close up everything on the hull in order to be able to put the ship in the water on the 9th. The recieve array required us to play a maddening game of tetris with eighty pound blocks and five ice windows because the windows were stepped in respect to one another. In addition, all of the spacers that accepted the bolts to secure the ice windows were cockeyed for reasons that could only be surmised but were certainly the work of the Seward gods testing us in our final hour. Nevertheless, we were up to the task and dodged the problem by reducing the number of bolts securing the ice windows. We caught a break with the Tx array and installed, dressed, and torqued the ice windows with no problems. With that, the work under the hull was completed. The next day, the shipyard broke the ice on the rails and moved the ship into position to be lowered. All went well, and the Sikuliaq once again was in the water with only minimal leakage around some pipes. Since there was very little ballast and fuel in her, the ship was pushed across the bay to the ferry by barges.

Tx array before ice windows installed. The blue color is due to a thin layer of anti-fouling paint added to the transducer faces. 

 Three techs contemplating the Rx array. The white square in the hull (top left) is the Topas, a sub-bottom profiler which sends down low-frequency pulses that can penetrate into the seafloor. This allows scientist to see the different layers of sediment and rock in order to find features like ancient lakes. The trade off for sending out low-frequency pulses is that the resolution of the image you generate is lower. The round yellow ADCP in the hull (top middle) sends out higher frequency pulses which is less penetrating but the resolution is much finer. With enough resolution, scientist can detect plankton in the water column!

Raising ice windows on the Tx array. Ice windows are put into place for, as their name suggests, protecting the transducer faces from ice. The Sikuliaq often works in the Arctic and this buffer is a very important safety mechanism.

Sikuliaq riding high out of the water, being barged into place

Shipyard survivors 🙂

Thanks for reading,

Sarah

 

 

 

 

The third week was all about getting the transducer conduits and transceiver room ready for the new transducer cable runs.

Transceiver room pre-transducer cables

Where the cables come out from the bottom of the ship

That meant opening Roxtex wedges, removing foam from the Rx (reciever transducer array) and Tx(transmit ducer array) wells, Roxtex blocking the existing cables in the transceiver room, chasing every thread in the Tx and Rx to make sure they are clear of crud, and working on my IRT project. The fourth week was main event. The Rx frame was carried in by the techs but the Tx frame was brought in by a telescopic forklift by lifting one side of the frame and attaching the other side to the forklift with straps so it made a triangle. 

Tx frame on telescoping forkliftTx frame rolling in on casters

Moving in the Rx frame

Tx frame ready to be lifted

Lookin like a million bucks 😛

Raising the transducers into the Tx frame, they are super fragile so every surface they rest on needed to have foam on it

The transducers slide between the pegs, then a plate is screwed into the pegs to lock the transducer in place

After the transducers were lifted into the frame, their cables needed to be pulled through the conduits into the tranceiver room. This involved techs tugging on the cables from the transceiver room, a gallon of lube, and no end to the jokes. Once all the cables were pulled into the transceiver room, all that was left was to dress (apply Locktite) and torque the bolts. All 150ish of them.

 Transceiver room after pulling the transducer cables

We finished that today so the next couple of days should be inside! I love working outside but I also like hands that dont cramp when putting my socks on so it’ll be nice to give the muscles a break.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah 

 

Last week I ended with the Sikuliaq scheduled to be lifted the next day. Well, due to high winds, the boat lift ended up being delayed two more days. There was some work to be done on land at the UAF warehouse, such as running salts samples and working on my IRT (Infrared Radiation Thermometer) project, but I mostly spent those days getting to know members of the crew better and seeing Seward. I visited the Alaska Sealife Center, got some work pants at Ukanuzit, petted a really cute corgi puppy at Gypsea Treasure Trunk, got burritos at the Lone Chicharron, and skipped rocks at the Lowell Point Beach. It was nice to have a break but by the time the ship was able to be lifted out of the water, I was ready to get back to work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lowell Beach

Sunset at UAF warehouse

And oh did the work begin. The big project that we did was removing the transducers from the hull of the ship. Snow gear was put on, hard hats donned, wrenches and allen keys grabbed, and we went to the bow of the ship. Our workspace consisted of a steel metal sheet about 3 feet under the belly of the ship. You are on your back with the enormity of the ship looming above and only some wooden blocks preventing you from becoming jelly. But, you get used to it. We quickly discovered that rolling on your side is the best mode of transportation and any time I moved between tasks, the Mission Impossible theme song blared in my head. The first step was to remove the sea glass panels which followed the centerline of the ship and a line from starboard to port. These panels are invisible to transducer pulses and are made of titanium spacers and polyurathene. The next steps were removing any obstacle from the transducers, including side panels and old wires. With every bolt undone, a crumbling of ocean sediment would fall on your face so I learned quickly to wear eye protection and a face mask. We then removed the transducers from the frame (seen in the image below as blue squares) and lowered the frame from the ship. This will make room for the new transducers being installed later.

Pre-work fit

Working to remove the transducers

Empty frame

The next project was to pull all of the transducer cables running through what smelled like the large intestine of the ship haha. This was somewhat difficult as the wires had fused to the inside of the pipes so we used a come along to help pull. But in a day, we were able to pull about 18 cables from the ship in order for people to come in and clean it the next day.

Small break

Pipes holding the transducer cables

Hired muscle

Pile of pulled cables

Thanks for tuning in for this episode of Dirty Jobs! I’m your host, Sarah:)

 

 

I arrived to the Sikuliaq in the midst of her overhaul. On my first day, my boss Ethan gave me a tour of the ship and told me about the equipment stored in each room. The ship has a lot of diverse machinery in order to support life on the ship, do world-class science, and operate in the icy Arctic. For example, the propellers face the bow of the ship and “pull” the ship through the water in order for the ice-hardened props to chop through ice.

My first intern task was to map the terminals of some network patch cables from the main switch kept in the computer lab. This main switch is connected to all the edge switches located around the ship so during my mapping I was able to go exploring and visit many of the main rooms the techs work in. During the overhaul, a major project is to redesign the computer lab which acts as a hub for all the equipment the techs operate to do science and also help the ship navigate. This includes operating the winches for CTDs, monitoring the MCGs (motion sensor and gyro compass) for navigation, as well as data collection points. Mapping the patch cable locations will help the techs get things up and running again once the computer lab has been configured. That kept me busy and getting lost for the rest of the day. After work I watched Fight Club with some of the crew. Not allowed to talk about it buuuut it was weird. Worth a watch.

My next main project was running serial and ethernet cable from the 03 lab to the computer lab on the 01 level. These cables will allow techs to have a direct feed from the MGCs and get heading data. This involved removing panels in the stairwell to run the cables inside the walls and then running the cables overhead in cable trains in the hallways. This also involved Roxtec wedges and blocks. Imagine trying to play Jenga but all the Jenga pieces are slippery, have cables running through them, you’re cramped into a tiny space with the Jenga stack above you, and you are wishing you had the upper body strength of Rhea Ripley but your musculature is more in tune with the cables you are trying to wrestle into place. This is installing Roxtec. It is important to install though because it allows for cables to run through the walls while keeping the walls watertight and fire tight. After work I went to trivia with some of the crew and found out that there are other people who hate Wes Anderson movies too! It was great.

The next task was to button up any things that needed to be completed before we got underway as the ship was heading to the JAG Seward Shipyard to be lifted out of the water. This included lowering the centerboard to be flush with the hull of the ship. The couple-ton centerboard is usually in maintenance position so that the techs can get access to the instruments in the bottom of it but since we are letting out a lot of ballast water in order to get ready to be lifted out of the water, we want to make sure that the ship isn’t too top heavy. My boss, Ethan, also introduced me to a project that I will be working on in the coming weeks which is to design a stand that will hold two infrared radiation thermometers that will be used to collect data to study the thermal skin effect of the surface ocean. Standby for progress on that.

Yesterday we got under way to the JAG shipyard which was really cool to see as this is the first ship I’ve been on. I got to go up to the bridge and see the captain and mates steer and bring us to the dock.

Today I helped my bosses, Julian and Carmen, with the redesign of the computer lab as the boat lift has been delayed until tomorrow, hopefully! Fingers crossed. Next week I’ll remember to take pictures! See you then.

Sarah

Hello all,

My name is Sarah Gisler and I will be assisting the crew of the R.V. Sikuliaq for the next two and a half months perform an overhaul of the vessel. I recently graduated from Boston University with a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and I completed my bachelor’s degree in Marine Science from the University of Maine in 2019. I first became interested specifically in the marine technician field in the last semester of my undergraduate degree but I have always wanted to work in the field of marine science research. I am looking forward to applying what I have learned in my master’s program during this internship and learning a lot from the professional marine technicians aboard the R.V. Sikuliaq.

My hobbies include reading, pottery, soccer, cooking and *finally* never doing homework again. 

It’s official; we’re set to arrive in Nome on the 15th. I’ve secured my hotel room for two days, and my flight is scheduled for the 17th. Last night was a wild experience—we were tossed around like rag dolls! My roommate sustained injuries, and we ended up at the hospital together. We had to secure ourselves in our beds with life jackets, creating makeshift “tacos.” What a way to spend our last night.

Today is demobilization day. I’ve packed up and prepared everything. The captain handed me a service letter and a challenge coin; I couldn’t believe it. I bid a final farewell to the crew, feeling a tinge of sadness, capturing the moment with numerous pictures.

The captain expressed concern about leaving the harbor, so we opted for a small boat transfer, which turned out to be quite enjoyable. With our third mate at the helm, we made it to shore and headed to the Aurora Inn. Once on solid ground, I went for lunch with our chef, Evan, at the polar cub cafe.

It was delightful. Later, we hit the bar, spending most of the night saying goodbyes and engaging in conversations with the science team, making a quick stop at the gift shop, and then back to the bar, we practically closed it down. As everyone headed to the airport or their hotels, the chef and one of the engineers made dinner plans and enjoyed pizza and sushi. The night ended with a night cap with some of the crew before bidding them farewell at the hotel for the last time. I woke up, indulged in a leftover slice of pizza, and spent most of the day indoors. I collected rocks and revisited the Polar Cub Inn for breakfast, just having a nice chill day before I needed to travel.

Later, I returned to the bar, sipping on those fantastic ginger beers (Cock and Bull) that I had the day before, leaving a $20 bill with a note on the ceiling. I was excited that the next day I would be going home. I took one last walk outside and enjoyed the ice and snow and the long Alaska sunsets.

Arriving at the airport at 8:30am, I learned that our flight got delayed until 11:30 am. Despite the initial assurance of holding the Seattle flight, plans changed, and we all had to be rebooked. I originally planned on getting to Sacramento at around 10pm, but now I was going to arrive at 12:04 am, on my birthday. 

I arrived home at midnight, exhausted. Despite the fatigue, we drove home, and to my surprise, my sister and her boyfriend were there with cake, turkey cupcakes, balloons, In-N-Out burgers, and champagne—a heartwarming welcome. We talked until 2 am, sharing stories and memories.

Afterward, I hit the sack and slept until 11 am. Now, I’m taking it easy, enjoying some food, and unpacking. I’m finally back home. Thanks everyone for reading along on my adventure, I appreciate it. For the last time, thanks for reading. 

Mari 🙂 

Today was the day. I continued my daily routine trying not to think about it, today was the day. Changing the sea water filters below on the engineering deck, done and dusted.Today is the day. We get a call over our radios, okay it’s happening after lunch.  

Conducted a CTD for the science party. Buoy engineers were rushing past us getting the buoy ready to be lifted and untying it and bringing in tables to the Baltic room. It’s starting to look more like a war room. Everyone keeps checking the weather, it’s in the negatives today and the wind isn’t blowing too hard. Good.   

Trying to keep my mind off of the lift. I headed to the bridge for a full shift with the chief mate, where we encountered huge ice ridges and snow. So we did what the ship was designed to do in this instance, the ‘back and ram’! This consists of  creating space behind us with our thrusters and clearing the ice. We back up as much as we can, then give her all she’s got and ram through whatever is in front of us. We needed to get through all of this ice if we were to deploy the buoy. The time was edging closer. 

 

 

Following this, I left the bridge to attend the second and final buoy meeting. This deployment is the primary purpose for our expedition and the R/V Sikuliaql, WHOI, and UW had their best teams on this boat for a reason, and this was why. This lift, considered one of the most difficult operations the ship undertakes, requires not only two cranes and crane operators working simultaneously, but also needs at least 8-10 taglines preventing the buoy from swinging and that’s just the set up. The complex process involves 3 evolutions in total.  (1) lifting the buoy from a horizontal to a vertical position, (2) rotating it 180 degrees in the air, and then (3) carefully positioning it over the side without any collisions—a truly complex operation. 

After the meeting we all enjoyed a hearty lunch knowing the teams would definitely need it. With the chilling -4 degrees Celsius outside, we bundled up in our warmest clothing before heading to the Baltic Room. This room housed essential equipment like CTDs and AUVs, and served as the ‘command center’ for our ambitious lift.

Divided into three teams, the first team consisted of crane operators, our bosun, and day bosun, supervised by the captain who would be joining us down on deck. Their responsibility was to maneuver the cranes safely, ensuring a precise and secure lift. The second team, composed of tag liners, included the buoy engineers, one of the chief scientists, and the most experienced crew members. Their role was crucial in handling the buoy to prevent any damage to its instrumentation, and most importantly keep that 6 ton behemoth from swinging. The third team, the runners and floaters, remained in the Baltic Room, ready to assist and ensure the safety of those working outside.

Before the operation began, everyone suited up and gathered in this makeshift war room complete with cameras, tables, schematics, computers, radios, and scattered clothing and food.  Expressing her confidence and excitement, the bosun assured us that we were well-prepared for the task at hand. The room erupted in applause, and we conducted final checks to ensure everyone was well-protected from the frigid arctic conditions.

The atmosphere was tense as those not directly involved in the three teams (me and a few other scientists) ascended to the third deck for a high vantage point. Everything unfolded in threes—three teams, three decks, and three floors above the action.

The setup felt like an eternity, with each moment filled with anticipation and nerves. This operation was the culmination of the entire cruise, and there was no room for error. The lift, seemingly lasting for hours, required meticulous attention to detail. The first evolution involved lifting the buoy from a horizontal to a vertical position, a seemingly straightforward task but made challenging by the protruding bottom instruments beneath the buoy. When everyone was ready, it went dead silent and all we heard was the wind and the sound of the cameras starting to record. The cranes started to move and make noise and all the lines started to tighten, and tighten, and creak, and the crane team started to back up as the buoy started to rumble, and shake and make noise. Our bosun called out orders for everyone to hold onto their ropes with everything they have…then it started to lift.

The first evolution had begun. The tension heightened when a close call prompted the chief scientist to call an all-stop. Repositioning was crucial, and with her guidance, the lift continued without incident.

The buoy ascended into the air, and the teams successfully completed the first evolution.

 

The second evolution involved rotating the buoy mid-air, a complex task that required tag liners to skillfully transfer their lines from one cleat to another, looking from my vantage point very close to a choreographed dance. The operation proceeded smoothly, showcasing the expertise of the crew.

 

 

The buoy reached the desired position, marking the end of the second evolution.

 

The final stage, Evolution 3, involved carefully positioning the buoy over the side without collisions and releasing it into the water. Tag liners played a crucial role in this phase, swiftly removing their lines as the buoy descended into the water. The final moments were entrusted to the main engineer, who shouted “RELEASE!” as the buoy was set free, completing the mission. Below is the moment of the release.

 

It felt like hours, but due to the expertise of our bosun and everyone involved, it took only 30 minutes for all 3 evolutions. I was astounded. 

With the night ending on a high note, our successful operation was celebrated with cheers, high fives, and hugs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we sailed away, the sky treated us to a breathtaking display of the aurora borealis, a fitting end to our challenging journey. 

And so, with our final mission accomplished, we eagerly looked forward to Week 7: Going Home. 

Thanks as always for reading, I’ll be home soon. 

Mari