We arrived in Lewes, Delaware last Saturday and had a few days at dock preparing for the next deployment. Three separate winches had to be added to the back deck. We also added a side frame, combustion chamber and CHIRP to be used on the cruise.
Category: MATE Blog Archive Page 71 of 89
Posts that were imported from the historical MATE blog at marinetech.org
Well it has been twelve days since I arrived in Gulfport Mississippi and boarded the R/V Point Sur. Over these past days I have had many great experiences and have learned a lot. The first trip that we went on involved working with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). After leaving port we had a 40 hour transit to Galveston Texas where we picked up more scientists then an 18 hour trip down the coast to the Corpus Christi area. During the transit I was able to learn about the CTD, help change out the control bottle on it, troubleshoot why it wouldn’t talk to the computer and fixed the issue. I also had time to do some networking of computers on the boat. When we finally arrived at the testing site we took sediment samples, dredged for worms and clams, and photographed cross sectional views of the bottom.
We arrived back in port and the next day we took out a group of students from the University of Southern Mississippi out to do some research.
The crew on the Point Sur are wonderful to work with. The food is amazing.
This was my first time on a boat in the ocean. It is not much different than being on the Great Lakes. I did not realize how many oil rigs were really out in the Gulf of Mexico. At night it looks like a city on the water.
Right now we are getting ready to head back out for 11 days. The boat is being loaded with a bunch of gear. There is a rov and two big wave gliders and a few smaller ones. This trip is going to be exciting, it is geared toward what I want to do when I get out of school. When I get back from this next trip I will give another update.
Smooth seas and sunshine has been the theme of our cruise thus far. I’d like to think I’ve adjusted to life at sea after a week, but we’ve been sailing in relatively sheltered waters until now so only time will tell.
It’s been a busy week of CTD maintenance and repairs. We started with redoing the cable termination, which provided me with my first real soldering experience. I must say, soldering is more like an art than anything I’ve done so far and the experience of the MTs onboard became very evident when comparing their soldering jobs to mine. Next, we removed and cleaned/inspected each of our 24 SBE bottles mounted on the carousel. Each bottle was wiped down and any cracked O-rings or rusted circlips were replaced. After the bottles were finished, we moved onto the carousel itself. Unlike steel or titanium CTD frames, ours is an aluminum alloy that is light enough to house several instruments and still be under our cable’s max safe working load of 1.74 tonnes. However, the problem is that it needs a thermoplastic coat (to ensure trace metal analyses can be done) which eventually wears off and starts to peel. Taking the bottles off our frame revealed a few spots needing repair, so we carried the frame into the staging bay and started grinding away (pictured above) at the worn coating and corrosion. The next step will be to heat the exposed metal to 150C and apply a new layer of powder coating, then it should be good to go! The issue here is that some spots are worn out completely around the frame (as seen in the picture) and the powder coating needs to be applied in an upright position, so we’ll have to either do the repair in very small sections (not ideal..), or try slowly rolling the frame down the hangar while hitting all sides of the repair with the heat gun and powder. Either way, it will be a fun challenge!
Every part of this cruise has been a learning experience so far, and I hope it stays this way as we push forward to the Marshall Islands. We’re set to arrive in Majuro next week, where we will stay for 4 days and prepare for the three-week science leg along the central equatorial Pacific.
It’s been approximately a month since I left for San Diego. Since then I have completed a mooring deployment cruise and a sediment coring/imaging cruise. I must say it’s been a busy month and It feels rather strange to be back on shore.
While I am back I will have to head to our Newport storage facility to pick up some items for my next cruise (spare PMI grips, sensors, etc) and I will continue to try and solve my Triaxus problem.
I am one week into cruise 1 of 3 that I will be on during my internship. This cruise began in Nassau, Bahamas where we picked up the science crew. From there we have spent the last seven days traveling up and down the islands at a Navy base (AUTEC) with an AUV (autonomous underwater vehicle) collecting acoustic data. The AUV is deployed at 0600 and goes underwater along a pre programmed route that we follow so we can pick it up in the afternoon.
At the same location we deploy the AUV, a CTD scan is done at 600 meters to collect data about the water profile such as water temperature and salinity. Immediately after, a trawl is put out and pulled behind the vessel at a depth of about 1700 meters. The catch is used to determine the deep sea prey of whales. A hydrophone is also dropped into the water and pulled along behind the stern to pick up any sounds of whales. We do this entire process twice a day, putting the AUV back on board just before sunset (we tried once in the dark; QUITE difficult).
So far things have been operating smoothly. There was an issue with the CTD cable which was producing 9 modulo errors on a single cast, so the technician and I went up and pulled out the slip ring to the sea cable termination and soldered several wires and everything worked perfectly afterwards. Definitely a good learning experience for me. Other than that, the days are going by without any problems. I’ve also been learning a little bit from the engineers whenever I have a chance. I watched them fill up the hydraulic oil reservoir and operated the winch for the A frame today. I figure anything I can learn will be useful.
All together I have been on this boat for 15 days straight and still haven’t lost my mind or gotten sea sick so I think all is well! I still love it and I have so much more to learn. There are two people on this cruise that are former MATE interns. The Chief Scientist, Chad Waluk and the Marine Science Technician, Kenneth Fairbarn.
The image above is a picture of myself (far left) and a few other people onboard. In this picture I am in a harness just after we brought the seismic source up the slip.
So tomorrow my last day onboard the RV Langseth and I head back home. The past 6 weeks have been a very challenging and life changing experience for me. We encountered both smooth and rough seas while off the coast of New Jersey. I’ve learned everything from spicing rope and air gun mechanics to p-cable operations, seismic operations, and life long people skills. I met people aboard that are now lifelong friends and people that I hope to work with in the future. The technicians and navigators on board helped to make me feel right at home and welcomed me into their family without question.
The past week of operating was very hectic and busy. We were able to successfully be in production for several days straight. Even though the entire prospect was not filled in, we were able to complete over 90% of it. This is a miracle considering the difficulties the Langseth faced a year ago trying to complete the same project. Once we made it to port we had to pack up everything to be sent back to Geometrics and NCS Subsea. The two days at the dock were filled with crane operations and preparations for the next cruise. Even though I will not be joining them on the next cruise I wish them smooth seas and safe travels.
This is the last blog I will be writing, if anyone would like to know more information about my cruise and my experience feel free to email me at thackett2012@my.fit.edu
Hello everyone, my name is Ken McQuarrie. I am a student at Alpena Community College which is located in Northeast Michigan on the shore of Lake Huron. I am enrolled in the Marine Technology program specializing in ROVs.
So let me tell you about myself more. I am 38 years old. When I was young I always wanted to work on the ocean. I wanted to be a marine biologist. When I was 17 I ended up having a child. At that point I gave up on my dream of working on the ocean. I left the small town of Alpena at the age of 19 and moved to Lansing, Mi. While there I worked many jobs but mostly I worked at a photo lab and I painted houses. When I was 22 I had another child. I raised him his whole life by myself. Almost two years ago I came to Alpena to visit for the holidays. When I was there I was helping cut down a huge maple tree at my grandma’s house. I climbed a ladder to tie a cable around the limb that was hanging over her house. When I reached the top of the ladder it broke. I fell 18 feet and broke my leg. It changed the direction of my life. I was no longer a painter.
While I was recovering, I was trying to figure out what to do next in my life. That is when I found the Marine Tech program at ACC. After finding this program, a flood of memories and dreams came back to the forefront of my mind. I decided to give school a try again. Going back to school after 18 years was a little scary. Fortunately the second time around was much easier. It is amazing what that time away from school has taught me. All those life experiences really helped me excel in my classes. Over the past year I have had so many amazing experiences. I have learned how to scuba dive, piloted rovs on over a dozen shipwrecks, met and worked with many amazing people in the industry and now this internship through MATE.
Growing up in Michigan, I have been out on the Great Lakes numerous times. I absolutely love being out on the water. I have never been on the ocean though. This will be another dream of mine that will be marked off my checklist. I am excited and nervous at the same time. I am sure I will make the best of this opportunity as I have all the others over the past year. So my message to everyone reading this is: No matter what life throws at you and how far gone your dreams seem to be, everything happens for a reason. Don’t be afraid to chase your dream, even if you are older like me.
I look forward to this opportunity and will keep everyone posted on my travels when possible. Thank you MATE, ACC, friends and family for your support. I will make you all proud.
Ken McQuarrie
Two flights and 17 hours later, my journey from Honolulu to Singapore was complete. The RV Falkor was docked at the Harbourfront Centre terminal a few miles from the airport, and despite tripping on the gangway with my suitcase in hand (first time wearing steel toe boots…) my first day aboard was truly amazing. Arriving in the early morning gave me a full day to get settled and go through the familiarizaiton/safety tour, as well as a welcome dinner on deck with some of the crew. They were all very fun and equally sarcastic, especially when I told them this is my first extended trip at sea… The playful harrassment began as soon as they found out I’ll be crossing the equator AND the dateline on my first cruise (took many of them 10+ years to do this). Nonetheless, I couldn’t be happier thus far and am very excited/anxious to get underway tomorrow morning. We have a 16 day transit to Majuro, where we will meet up with an oceanographic research group from the University of Hawaii (go bows!) and sail the rest of the way to Honolulu.
More to come next week!
The image above is me helping to deploy the head float for the cross cable. This is done just prior to the cross cable and GeoEels being put in the water.
This past week has been very busy and a lot of hard work. At the beginning of the week we noticed we were having some issues with the P-cable. The decision was made to pull everything in and finish the survey without the 3 Kilometer 2D streamer. We spent all day Monday on the back deck trying to repair the p-cable, which we were unable to do. Several attempts were made to replace parts on the cross cable but a decision was made to pull everything and run in towards the Manasquan inlet to pick up a Geometrics employee.
Tuesday morning we were close enough to shore that I was able to make a few calls. Once it was time for my shift to start I walked outside and found that we were replacing the entire signal cable. Finishing the signal cable and deploying the entire p-cable took most of the day but we were able to start shooting around 8pm that night. Ever since then we have been shooting and filling in the prospect. Like I have said before, boring seismic is good seismic. I also sat down with Dan from Geometrics and we started to design and draw up a few brackets that would fix several problems on the p-cable It has been decided that we will pick up the p-cable and head back to port on Monday. Next week will be my last blog post during my internship.
The image above is me helping to deploy the head float for the cross cable. This is done just prior to the cross cable and GeoEels being put in the water.
This past week has been very busy and a lot of hard work. At the beginning of the week we noticed we were having some issues with the P-cable. The decision was made to pull everything in and finish the survey without the 3 Kilometer 2D streamer. We spent all day Monday on the back deck trying to repair the p-cable, which we were unable to do. Several attempts were made to replace parts on the cross cable but a decision was made to pull everything and run in towards the Manasquan inlet to pick up a Geometrics employee.
Tuesday morning we were close enough to shore that I was able to make a few calls. Once it was time for my shift to start I walked outside and found that we were replacing the entire signal cable. Finishing the signal cable and deploying the entire p-cable took most of the day but we were able to start shooting around 8pm that night. Ever since then we have been shooting and filling in the prospect. Like I have said before, boring seismic is good seismic. I also sat down with Dan from Geometrics and we started to design and draw up a few brackets that would fix several problems on the p-cable It has been decided that we will pick up the p-cable and head back to port on Monday. Next week will be my last blog post during my internship.
The first few days on board were typical sailing days and a good time for me to get familiar with the ship and the daily operations. Because the ship was in transit there were no technicians on board so I was able to learn and perform the duties on my own.
Friday through Monday were designated for getting the boat from Lewes, Delaware to Fort Pierce, Florida. We ran into some pretty nasty weather (winds at 57 knots and we pushed through about a dozen 20 foot waves) which pushed us back 24 hours so we didn’t actually arrive in Fort Pierce until late Tuesday afternoon. We switched out a few crew members and moved on to Nassau, Bahamas where we picked up 8 scientists. Over the next 15 days we will be working around the Bahamas at the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) which is controlled by the U.S. Navy.
There are a few things on this ship that were new to me. I’ve never seen a hydraulically operated keel that deploys sonar before and definitely didn’t know how to operate one until I learned on this vessel. I also have never seen a Caley system which is the equipment the CTD is housed within. Everything else I’ve had to do has basically been an extension of the marine technology program at CFCC. I have felt well prepared for what has come my way so far.
We have mobilized the vessel and are ready to begin science. Because of the international rates I can’t upload my pictures at this time but I have plenty! I will have more to report in the following week. Other than that, the weather is beautiful here and the water is warm!
Also, I can’t say enough about the crew. I have been the only female on board and they’ve welcomed me and made me feel comfortable from the first day on. I look forward to the following two months.