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This week we climbed into the tween deck for the last times.Initially it was to run 2 cables from both engines up to the bridge and the other was to close up the RoxBox. Closing up the RoxBox was a difficult task because there were two pipes in our line of site when we were in the most comfortable sitting position that was possible. To be able to look around the pipes bending over was needed but at that point the neck was in pain from discomfort. It was a tedious process because of having the peel the layers of the cubes as we tried to fit it to the different cables. It was like peeling the layers off an onion. Each cube, inside and out, along with the stay plates and framing had to be lubricated in the process of holding the previous rows up so they don’t collapse. At one point the stay plates fell through the opening to the other side of the tween deck and our arms were too short to reach them though the hole. Kyle ended up going onto the other side to retrieve them and work from that side. It was almost easier because it was less cramped having a person on each side to the same work, less congestion in the area. The most relieving part of the process was inserting the wedge and tightening up on the screws because at that point we knew it was finally over and no block should be falling anymore.

The next job we had dealt with the flowthrough system, and it was to remove the C3 sensors and debubbler, clean the organic buildup and growth out of it, and reinstall them. This was alongside swapping out the current Micro TSG and temperature probe for the newly calibrated ones. We also had to update the software with the new coefficients SeaBird gave us. After plugging in the temperature ones, something was majorly wrong as we were receiving temperatures of 811 degrees Celsius. The coefficients were triple checked to insure they were put in correctly to the right exponent. Denis came to check on us as we are trying to troubleshoot the problem and we explained the problem to him. :Oh yeah, that happened sometimes. They used a different method than we do.” After figuring that out, Denis ran us through the way one how to fix the string error we were getting. Instead of the software reading the frequency the sensor was giving off, it was reading the actual temperature and thinking that was the frequency, so it was then converting that to the “temperature” like it would normally do if set to how we use it.

Following up on learning about R232 cable last week and how to make a DB-9 connection, Kyle and I set off to make our own cable to talk to each other over our computers. Some trouble shooting had to be done in the process. Upon the first try of communicating, nothing happened. Something was wrong. We then had the idea of faking out the signals they send and receive by creating the jumper from the request to send pin to the clear to send pin. After that fix and try, it still didn’t work. After thinking back to what Denis had said the prior week, we realized that we need a null modem and not just a gender changer to be able to connect t our computers. After searching for one and not having any luck finding it, we decided we’ll just take account for not having one with the cable and terminations we created. On one end the transmit data wire and receive data wire were crossed that way when we used the gender changer it would link the connection like we needed if we had a null modem. After that attempt it was a success! We were able to chat back and forth, and Kyle typed up a nice short explanation of what we did.

One afternoon Denis showed us how he removes an old termination off the 322 cable and explained how he creates a new termination. This was an interesting process because he had to remelt the metal (Cerrobend Alloy), with a blow torch, used to attach the wire to the termination to be reused for the next. After all the Cerrobend alloy was removed, the wire was able to be pulled out and Denis was able to explain how he would fold back the layers of wire nest until he could get to the cable inside to place that properly in the termination. This procedure was very helpful to see, and I hope I am able to help when he has the time to make the new termination.

The last thing that was done in the week was running the POS-MV cable, that was coiled up in the engine room, from the engine room and up the stacks to the cable gland at the base of the POS-MV antennas.

This is my last week as an intern working with the F.G. Walton Smith. I have learned a lot and gained a lot of invaluable experience from my work here. The crew has been great to work with and I really appreciate them taking it upon themselves to mentor Alesha and I through working on scientific equipment and research vessels. It has been quite a unique experience being a part of the midlife refit of the F.G. Walton Smith, repowering it with brand new 2022 built Cummins engines. It has been especially wonderful working closely with Jonathan, Alesha, and Denis.

I was set to leave on Wednesday, August 31, so Denis had us working on R232 serial connections and calibrating/rotating out some of the sensors in the flow through system. I felt that Alesha and I have come full circle the last couple of weeks, taking what Denis was teaching us at the beginning of the internship about the 7 OSI layers, networking, and data communications and applying it in the physical layer to get a larger idea of how to be a Marine Tech.

On Monday, we finished closing up the Rox Box after running the 12 strand shielded wires for the engine displays (start/stop), and a 2 stranded shielded wire to serve as the data link for the engine controls. It was difficult to get the wires in, hold all of the rubber pieces in place, greasing up each piece and putting the next layers on but after the wedge was put in it all fit nice and snug. Alesha and I realized that it is very important to make sure that the seam of the rubber pieces lies parellel to the wedge in order for the pieces to compress together the correct way (and avoid it being so difficult to take apart). Here is a picture of the finished Rox Box in the Tween Deck:

We then began work cleaning the debubbler, C3 sensors, and to switch out the MicroTSG (Thermosalinograph). The Turner Designs C3 Submersible Fluorometer sensors read Chlorophyll and CDOM with 3 optical sensors. We took them apart and cleaned them up. Here are some pictures of the flow through system and the sensors:

We went through troubleshooting some of the programmed language that it was pulling off the sensors, when we went to run them. We also took on a project to make R232 serial connections and ran a terminal emulation program to see if we could communicate to each other from laptop to laptop. We went through some troubleshooting figuring this out as it wasn’t as straight forward as the RJ45 ethernet connections. We realized that Alesha had made a female jack and I had made a male jack on the same wire, which then connected to our computers through a male adapter to USB. At first it registered that DTR (Data Terminal Ready) was lit up, which meant that power was recieved and it that our communications were ready to receive, however the data wasn’t being transmitted or received properly. We thought it might be the RTS (Request to Send) and CTS (Clear to Send) IP protocols that weren’t allowing the data to be transmitted without permission. So, we jumpered those connections in order to fake it out allowing data to be transmitted and received. This still didn’t work and so we thought it might have had to do with the crossedover female and male connectors. So instead of using a null modem (because we didn’t have one that we could use) we switched the receive and transmit pins. It worked and here is a picture of Alesha and I able to send data from one laptop to another real-time:

On Wednesday, Denis showed us how he makes the .322 Cable termination. This was incredibly awesome as he uses an older method of ensuring a strong termination by melting a metal alloy into the birdnested wire, inside of a custom stainless connector. He uses a Cerro Alloy which can be reused through every connection by making his own molds. The metal has a very low melting point, is very strong, and cures very quickly. It only took a few minutes for the metal to start melting and a few more for it to harden again. Here are some pictures from the process:

This has been a great experience and I have learned so much. I got an offer recently to start applying some of my newly learned skills onboard the R/V Atlantis with WHOI, which I am excited to embark upon in the next few weeks. This internship has been very motivating for me to continue working in the research fleet. I have enjoyed the passion and attitude that everyone shares working on the F.G Walton Smith. I am excited to keep blending my experiences as a sailor with scientific pursuits. I have grown confident in my abilities to learn quickly and figure things out methodicallly, which I think will carry me where I want to go. There is always so much more to learn and I am excited for the challenges that await. Thank you so much to the crew of the F.G. Walton Smith, Alesha, and Maria for the opportunities and time shared! 

This week we took a break from the engine project as we were awaiting cables in the mail. Monday consisted of running new POS-MV cable and insulated Cat5 cable from both engine rooms to the tech space through the tween deck. This project took some time because the pull stings we ran ended up getting wrapped around each other as one was pulled. The new Cat5 cable is for a new camera in each engine room to be able to see the engines and generators from a different vantage point. To end the day, we made new RJ45 connections for the Wi-Fi router and the clock display. We had to add keystones jacks to be able to create a patch cable to add in as well. The next day we replaced a Cat-5 cable we ran back in June with a different Cat-5 cable because Dennis “preferred the grey color to be structural cable and the green cable to be the patch cable.” That afternoon we learned all about DB-9 and DB-25 connection terminals as well as null modems, which are used to cross over the transmit and receive data line when trying to connect male to male or female to female cords. We used a manufactured R232 serial connection to be able to talk to each other’s computers and understand the concept before we create our own terminal emulation at some point when time allows. On Wednesday Jon, Kyle, and I started the AC wiring project and got as far as we could with the wire we had as we waited for more to come in the mail. Finally on Friday we finished the wiring, and the project was completed. Thursday and Friday Kyle and I disconnected the sensors from the transmissometer and removed them from their mounts. We then put new calibrated sensors and transmissometer into the cage and mounted them accordingly. After Kyle and I put everything back together we connected communications wire up to the transmissometer to ensure that everything was working correctly before we upload the new coefficients into the software.

Friday evening was a crew morale night and we went to Top Golf. It was great to spend time away from work in an incredibly fun environment.

Week 14: After major successes getting the engines onboard and in place at the dock, the engine project has come to a slow down as the boat has to wait for contractors to fabricate and install exhaust parts, control parts, and weld electrical boxes/plumbing parts in both engine rooms. As Alesha and I have been very busy and heavily involved getting the engines in and put together, Denis’ projects were waiting for us to take on, so this week has been very tech heavy, which was a nice transition as these projects were less dirty and not as physically demanding. It is funny as I made the joke that working with the engine side of the house you use the biggest tools lying around, while working with the tech side of things we use the smallest tools available. 

Monday, we started out in the tight spaces of the Tween Deck running wire through the Rox Box that gave us so much trouble the last couple of weeks. Well, our struggles continued and Alesha and I learned quickly that this was a major pain in the butt. The Tween Deck is a space where the framing of the hull runs between the pontoons and supports the main deck and superstructure. There is an entrance in the starboard side Engine Room as well as another entrance in the Dry Lab. It is a very tight fit and must be traversed lying down and manuevering through lightening holes that are only a few feet in diameter. Going through the hatch from the Engine Room there are 4 lightening holes to pass through on the way up forward towards the Rox Box as well as Fiberglass insulation at the entrance. Alesha and I ended up running five pull strings leading from the Marine Tech lab to each engine room (3 to the starboard, 2 to the port side) to be used later to pull wire through the space from the spool. We pulled the new POSMV Coaxial cables as well as the shielded and heat resistant Cat 5 cables for the new cameras to be mounted in both Engine Rooms. Here is a picture of the broken Rox Box wedge that we have to replace: 

Also here are some pictures in the Tween Decks to understand the confined spaces we were crawling through and some of the piping and we had to work around: 

On Tuesday, we worked on fixing up some of the wiring we ran for the two wifi systems onboard and the time server display in the dry lab. These were all RJ45 connections with Cat 5 cables running to Keystone Jacks connected to Patch cables that allowed for easier access when troubleshooting or maintainence projects. We also replaced a structural wire that we had run to the Chief Scientist room for the exterior cameras that are getting mounted on the port and starboard sides. Later in the afternoon, we learned about R232 terminations including the pin configurations for DB9 and DB25 connectors. This is a serial type connection that allows specific IP to be transmitted and recieved on specific pins. We learned about a bit about the different types of IP (Internet Protocols) including RTR (Ready to Recieve), RTS (Request to Send), DTR (Data Terminal Ready), Rx (Recieve), Tx (Transmit), CTS (Clear to Send), DSR (Data Set Ready), etc. We then learned how to make the connections crimping different wires to pins and putting them into the connection ports. We then learned how Null Modems work as there are DCE (Data Connection Equipment) and DTE (Data Terminal Equipment) that when connected communicate through different pins and therefore require a Null Modem to cross them over or fake out DTE from recognizing a DCE as another DTE. 

On Wednesday, we worked with Jon learning more about electrical connections and different guages of wire, the capabilities and limitations determined on length and size of wires, as well as how to make terminations on larger wire diameter. We then made the connections on 3 Awg wire for the battery terminals leading to the Engine starters. Here are a few pictures of the terminations:

We ended the day working on the wiring for the A/C unit that we had mounted at the beginning of our internship. 

On Thursday, we started deconstructing the CTD, cleaning up the wires and sensors, and rotating them out with the calibrated sensors that were delivered from SeaBird. We learned a lot about the care of the sensors, how each sensor worked, and the importance of having a calibration and maintenance schedule to keep the sensors in good working order. A major part of Denis’ job as a Marine Tech. Here are some pictures of the sensors and Alesha and I taking deconstructing it:

On Friday, we finished rotating out the sensors on the main CTD and secondary CTD, as well as prepping the tertiary set of sensors to be shipped out for calibration. We learned how to set up the config file in Seabird’s SeaSave program as well as put in the new calibration data sets. We also finished the wiring and set up for the A/C Unit in the Scientist Cabin, which turned out really nice! Here is a picture of Alesha and I shivering underneath our working A/C unit:

We concluded this busy and great week with a Crew Morale night at Top Golf, which was a wonderful cap to getting the engines in and working with this great group of people. It has been a great experience and I am appreciative to have been a part of such a major overhaul. I have learned quite a lot of many different things and am very appreciative for the crew taking it upon themselves to share their knowledge and wisdom with me. 

This week has been such an accomplishment and weight off our shoulders. The impossible back the possible. Monday the starboard engine went into the engine room defying the odds that were potentially against us, like the hydraulic reservoir that was in the way taking up room. Once the engine was inside the engine room the ship was warped back to it normal docking area. I felt like this move went a lot smoother than the prior move to put the engines onboard. The tide was hugely working in our favor helping generously. On Tuesday the engine was shifted forward and placed on the isolators and mounting blocks. Oil was then added to the port engine for the alignment guys to start their process of aligning the engine to a one hundredth of a millimeter. After that was completed, the engine started to be redressed and like with the port engine, Ron and I tackled dressing the right side of engine.

By Thursday Kyle and I were back to our side quests and this time we were back at trying to remove the RoxBox wedge. After it not moving after endless attempts and realizing the wedge wasn’t releasing tension, worse came to worse and it had to get drilled out. Some of the rubber cubes that hold the wire, and the wedge were destroyed in the process, but it was successfully taken apart to add new camera wire, POS-MV cable, and the engine cables. Now we were able to run some pull lines from that space into both engine room so we wouldn’t have to spend much time running within the tween deck.

To wrap up the week I helped with putting the old engines on the pallet and putting all the part we removed back onto the engine to sell them. At the end of the day, I joined another side quest and helped Jon with the AC project and drawing a wiring diagram, matching the AC in my stateroom, that would help us with the install.

After ending our week last week struggling to get the Rox Box out, this week started on a high note. We woke up early 0630 to get the starboard side engine out on the pier with hopes to time lifting it onboard with the low tide at 0700. We did it just as before and it went seamless utilizing the A-frame to get the engine onboard. Alesha, Ron, Lock, and I got to work moving the engine on the portable A-frame towards the starboard side soft patch. Which went quickly as we have been working closely and well together for the last couple of weeks. However, it got a little hectic when we were ready to lift the engine into the starboard engine room as AME, the vibration and alignment guys, as well as Pye Barker, the CO2 fire system guys, were scheduled to come in at the same time as the lifts that day.

We loaded the CO2 containers back into both engine rooms while AME started to align the port side engine using lasers for accurate alignment up to a 100th of an an inch. We lifted the starboard side engine utilizing a strap towards the aft side (bellhousing) and a chain fall towards the forward end of the engine (towards the dampeners). The idea was that we wanted to lower the front end of the engine first allowing it to come in at an angle and another chainfall on a padeye in the engine room to take some of the weight bringing the engine forward above the transmission. This helped as there wasn’t a lot of clearance on this side due to the hydraulic tank that powered the crane. It went in smoothly and just as we planned. 

Tuesday and Wednesday we moved the engine forward and dressed it with all of the additional parts that were stripped to reduce the engines weight and make it slimmer. This included the aftercooler, exhaust manifold, oil cooler, fuel supply system, coolant reservoir, heat exchanger, turbo charger, alternator, and raw water pump. AME also needed the port side engine to have oil and the simulated weight of the coolant for proper alignment. Here is a picture of Alesha and I filling the engine up with oil: 

Thursday, we went back into the tween decks as the next steps to get the engines powered up were to run wires up to the bridge and doghouse. We also have the POSMV wires and a few camera RJ45 wires to run to both engine rooms. There also might be some wiring that needs to be ran for the new controls that are being set up by another contractor. So we attacked the Rox Box this time with a drill, some PB blaster, a couple pry bars, and a hammer. After quite some time and toil we got the box out and ran some cord through the tween decks and all of the lightening holes leading fore and aft so that we can pull the wires we need through in the next week or so. Here is a picture of me coming out of the hatch leading into the tween deck and yes it’s a tight fit, lol:

Also, I got PADI Dive Certified this weekend: