Category: Vessel/Laboratory Page 22 of 89

Many days have passed since the last blog post, but less sea time than expected. The inevitable logistical challenges of conducting international research had us awaiting visas in port for an extra week, which was terminated by a last-minute scramble to LA and back to be processed and issued documents. So turn the halting gears of diplomacy. Once we were on the water, we were doing anything but halting as we booked it to the sea of Cortez, tossing and turning and ultimately cutting our transit time in half. Luckily, there are no speed traps in da sea. One happy consequence of the delay in transit is that we were closer to the path of the eclipse than we intended to be, so while we did not see totality we did see some-taility. Luckily, many forward-thinking scientists have obtained eclipse glasses. It was a cool way to spend the last day before dives!

We have arrived back on shore for an 11 day maintenance period in sunny San Deigo. But while the arrival back on shore has some major perks (increased access to snacks, to name one) it is altogether bittersweet. The reason being that we are saying goodbye to the McDermont science team! Their enthusiasm and joie de vivre about underwater volcanism were contagious, and something to look forward to during downtime on the ship. I sincerely hope our paths will cross again. There is much to do in the meantime, both recreationally and work-ationally. I am signing off for now to go get some cake and tacos. Peace and love.

3/9/2024

We have had many recurring visitors in the submersible hangar. These visitors have all been small, dark feathered birds with webbed feet. Just the other day I was informed that there was one stuck in the hangar and injured, so I put on some gloves and went over to where the bird was located. After carefully removing some metal poles that were keeping the bird’s right wing stuck, I gently cupped it in my hands and brought it out on deck and placed it into a milk crate. It looked visibly healthy, only shaken up a bit from being stuck. After about fifteen minutes I placed it on deck, and not long after it flew away. I kept my eyes on it for as long as I could see it to gauge it’s health in the air, and it looked good as new. I discovered based on some research and image matching that the most likely species of this bird is the Sooty Shearwater. This is a sea bird which travels long distances over the ocean, and lives out here. Not all birds need land to live, however there are some instances where land birds will live on the ship while in port and get stuck on the ship after we leave port. I haven’t seen any of these land birds, and I am glad for that. The day after saving this bird, we found another one in the hangar. I followed the same procedure. Five minutes after I placed the bird in the milk crate it flew back into the hangar, bumped into my coworker, then into my head, and then flew out the side of the hangar. Since that occurrence we have found one or two each night for the last 3 days. I know that there are nests of sea birds near the bow, so I think that is where they are coming from. Good news is that this species is independent once fledged.

We had our first delayed dive this morning. One of the battery cables which alerts of a leak in the starboard battery was not giving a satisfactory continuity reading. What is difficult about this problem is that in order to replace the cable, the main j-box has to be drained. A major component of working on Alvin is pressure compensation. Air is very compressable creating implodable volumes, but replacing the air volume with oil significantly reduces the compressability. So underwater these boxes do not get caved in and implode There are many “j-boxes’ compensated with different types of oils. The main j-box is filled with about 8 gallons of a mineral oil. The box is drained and filled through a small hole so it takes a long time. I worked on draining it and removing the cover so that the electronic technicians could access the cable. After their replacement and successful testing I had to put it back together and refill it. Connected to the box are large tubes with wires which run into the sphere through what are called penetrators. These are very important because they penetrate the sphere supplying the electronics that run the controls and sensors. A sphere is one of the most efficient shapes at withstanding high pressure. When you take a piece out of the sphere to run wires into it, you are creating an area that is less efficient at withstanding pressure. It is extremely important that the air is chased out of these tubes to prevent compression issues underwater. Overall this process delayed the dive time by two hours and it took the efforts of everyone on the ops team to take care of it. A normal morning turned stressful just like that, but I enjoyed it. 

We are scheduled to get into San Diego the morning of the 19th, and I found out a couple days ago that I am staying on for the next trip which runs all of April. I am stoked to be able to continue this learning opportunity. I wouldn’t complain if it lead to a job, but we’ll see what happens.

3/22/2024

We have been in port for a few days now running through a list of maintenance that needs to get done before the next trip. In one of the images below I am standing next to Nick Ellis who was a former MATE intern who got a job with the Alvin team. He has been an incredible mentor for me and he taught me most of what I currently know about the technology.

The diving period is officially over! The last recovery has been completed, the samples have been processed, the spiky sea bottom rock is in the process of being swept away. We have moved our standup back two hours (now at 8:00) and are slowly adjusting back to a normal workday. That being said, there is plenty to do! The 6-month maintenance period of the submersible is upon us, and therefore a bunch of systems need to be inspected, assessed and in some cases, replaced to the satisfaction of the US Navy. It is a fun time full of wonder, and a lot of paperwork. Long live ALVIN, long live the MATE internship.

As hard as it is to believe, the last dive day of ALVIN for this cruise is upon us! It is an engineering dive, with one of the most exciting objectives being taking one of my co-workers in the electrical shop on his first dive. The theme: Scott Dive. The scientific rationale: to answer a question that has plagued the minds of the masses since man first walked upright in the sun: what if Scott Dove? I know that someday (tomorrow) the sun will shine on a world where we know the answer to that question. For now, I complete my daily tasks to prepare the sub for its noble mission with its brave observer (Scott), knowing that I join ranks of history’s greatest support staff. Was it the same determination, the same pride that took root in the hearts of the laborers that nailed the planks of the HMS Beagle? The same professional poise on the brow of the uber driver that drove the Wright Brothers to the airport? During a visit to NASA in 1962, President John F. Kennedy walked up to a janitor and said “Hi, I’m Jack Kennedy. What are you doing?” to which the janitor famously responded, “Well, Mr. President, I am helping put a man on the moon.” Well, Mr. President I am helping put a Scott in a sub.

I am currently going on a little over 2 weeks at sea with the Alvin Ops group. It is my first time at sea for this long, and I will say I had some anxiety beforehand. I am currently enrolled in an online masters program, so I was worried about having enough time for both the internship and my courses. Now in retrospect I can say that all of that anxiety is out the window. Even with the long hours of work for the internship I still have plenty of time to get my course work done, and also relax. When you’re on a ship there’s nowhere else to go, so the distractions are minimal. The work days are long with the Alvin group, but I am used to it and because I enjoy the work it doesn’t feel long. Up to this point I have worked closely alongside the mechanics during focused repairs, inspections, and maintenance. I am learning something new everyday, and it is all thanks to this amazing opportunity afforded to me by the MATE program. If it were up to me I would never leave the Alvin Ops group, they are a great team to be a part of and the work is extremely interesting as well as unique.

We were falling into our groove this week on the ALVIN team and by our increasing comfort with the basics of launching and recovering the sub, responsibilities incrementally expanded. For me, this included the new and coveted task of throwing the tow line during the recovery process. In recovery, a small boat (a Zodiac) is deployed with a team of swimmers from the RV Atlantis, with the objective of preparing the sub for recovery once it surfaces. It is an intricate choreography with many steps beyond the scope of practice of an intern. Part of the on-deck duties related to sub recovery is throwing the tow line, which attaches the sub to the back of the ship and brings it into position. This allows for attachment of all of the accouterment which allows for the sub to be lifted back onto the ship. I have never been called the Walter Johnson of my generation, so I found the prospect of throwing the tow line off the back of the ship to be intimidating. It turns out, I was in a “League of My Own,” by which I mean I did an acceptable job and threw it sufficiently far to allow the recovery process to continue. Truly a win for interns everywhere. I cannot wait for the parade in my honor. I would like to thank the Academy and the MATE Program for making this day possible.