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.
