Category: R/V Hugh R. Sharp Page 6 of 9

My name is Huxley Conner, a student at Maine Maritime Academy and newly selected MATE intern for the summer of 2017. I have grown up and lived in the area around New Haven, Connecticut. From a young age, boating, going to the beach, and learning about marine science have been passions of mine. I could not imagine a life where I was not on the water. I even attended a city magnet high school that specialized in marine science and technology, which inspired me to desire a career on the water and apply to a maritime academy.

At Maine Maritime Academy, primarily made up of students training either to be a deck or engine officer on merchant ships, I have completed junior year studying Marine Science and Small Vessel Operations in the small but close knit Corning School of Ocean Studies. This program, with its own dedicated research vessel and unparalleled access to conduct research on the coast of Maine, has been immensely helpful in preparing me for a science career on the water. I originally discovered the MATE internship through two former interns of this program and graduates of my academy, Allison Mitchell and Julianna Diehl, who encouraged me to apply.

Not even a week ago, I have finished finals and have arrived home to Connecticut. Since I leave for Maryland to meet my boat, the R/V Hugh R. Sharp, in three days, I have been busy packing and reading up on how to use and maintain the equipment I will be working with. At the same time, I have been saying my goodbyes to family members and friends at home, who I likely will not see again until Thanksgiving because I am moving to Maine to be a science and sailing instructor at a day camp as soon as my cruise ends.

I will be meeting the boat in Ocean City, Maryland, and will be flying by myself from New York City to get there, a new adventure for me. I will be taking two overnight trains and a bus to get to La Guardia Airport, and then two planes! At least I have family members and friends with a lot of flying experience that I have been learning from. I remember there being an aquarium in Ocean City…but I doubt I will have time to stop. From this internship, I hope to meet many different individuals on board and find out what their experiences are like. I am eager to discover if I can see myself working on a research vessel once I graduate. I cannot wait to get started!

Since my last report, we are currently steaming offshore to begin the final leg of the cruise. I have received a request, from one of the scientist, that had to depart from us following the 3rd leg of the cruise. He wanted me to try, and monitor the flow through system on the ship every 6 hours instead of once a day. In our transient back to port, I had discovered small organisms that had been trapped in the filter, of the ships flow through system. I collected them, and took them to Scott (the scientist on board that studies planktonic organisms). He put them under the microscope, and identified them as Pteropods, Limacina, Foraminifera, and Amphipods. He had a particular interest in the Pteropods, because he wants to conduct further studies on their abundance. The Pteropods play a major role in balancing ocean acidification. Scott stressed, that if these organisms were to disappear the levels C02 in our atmosphere could likely be effected. On this final cruise leg, I will be monitoring the filter for their presence, and record the Lat/Long, of the general area they were collected in.

On this final leg, of the cruise, we are getting the chance to perform more CTD cast. KG is allowing me to prepare the CTD for deployment, and record, as well as process the data. A salinity sample is also collected every 12-hour period. CTD cast were suspended through several days, of the cruise, due to sea state conditions. One of the important skills I have gotten the chance to assist with, is performing a termination on the EM cable and CTD unit. We had to re-terminate it, because the CTD jumped the sheave during a cast in rough conditions, and damaged the cable.

Things have been running smooth, so far on the final leg of the cruise. We will continue to alternate HAB CAM operations, with deploying dredges. Also, the science team has scheduled CTD cast at certain locations.

Till next time,

Chris Petroff

Since I talked to everyone last, I received a great opportunity to go aboard the new research vessel, the R/V Neil Armstrong. KG, Chip, and myself were allowed to give ourselves a self-guided tour of the vessel, and had the chance to briefly talk to one of the technicians on board. We were also allowed in the warehouse to view the Alvin, and talk to one of technicians there as well. The Alvin is transported, and deployed from the R/V Atlantis, which was also in port at Woods Hole at the time.  

Currently, we are out to sea on our third leg of the cruise plan. We have been using both the HAB CAM, and NOAA scallop dredge system for data collection. When the CAM is being towed, it allows for some free time, so I have continued to work on creating system schematics for KG. Also, we have spent some time trying to trace, and label the wire feeds, which run power to the deck lighting and doghouse locations. I also got tasked, with giving a tour below deck, to one of the scientist on board. He wanted to see the underway flow through, and how it worked.

I have really had a great experience aboard the R/V Sharp, so far. The crew has been great, and everyone on the science team is very nice as well. I have enjoyed talking to the science crew about their experiences, and backgrounds. Most of the science team is made up of NOAA, and Woods Hole employees. We will be making our way back to Woods Hole in a couple of days, to pick up a new group of scientist, for the final leg of the cruise. Hopefully, things will continue to run smooth, and on schedule, for the duration of their fisheries survey.

Till next time,

Chris Petroff

This has been a very busy week aboard the R/V Sharp. The first couple of days on the 2nd leg of the cruise was spent running HAB CAM operations. I have been going over the ship’s weather system, winch system, VIDDS system, and Flow Through system with KG. My job has been to create schematics of each system in power point to update the ships manual. Also, every day I record the data from the underway system, and use a sling psychrometer to get a relative humidity reading. I have to change the filter on the flow through system, and give it a fresh water flush about every other day.

After the first couple of days on the cruise, the HAB CAM was recovered, and we jumped right into dredging. We have been working a busy schedule, averaging in the neighborhood, of one dredge every hour. The science team has set up dredge stations in protected areas, that are closed to fishing, as well as areas that are open to harvesting scallops. The science team records the scallop catches, as well as any predators that feed on scallops, such as sea stars and crabs.

I have enjoyed working on deck assisting in deploying and recovering the dredge, and after the dredge hits the deck, we help the science team sort through the catch. We have also performed CTD cast at some of the stations, and KG has allowed me to prep the CTD to enter the water, as well as work on the computer end of things in the tech lab.

Yesterday, I got the chance to assist with performing a termination to the EM cable that goes to the CTD. On the last cast attempt we made, the EM cable jumped the sheave, and damaged the cable, so we had to repair it.

We are currently in port at Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and the next group from the science team are coming aboard. The weather offshore may keep us at the dock an extra day. If it does, we may get to tour the new research vessel the Neil Armstrong, which would be pretty cool.

Till next time,

Chris Petroff

Hello Everyone:

This week has been an awesome experience here aboard the R/V Sharpe. This week we spent several days prepping the vessel, for a search and recovery mission to reclaim the HAB CAM that was lost when it struck a shipwreck while being towed. We discovered the shipwreck to be the Bow Mariner. The Bow Mariner is a tanker ship that sank when the ethanol it was transporting exploded. The ship is 500+ feet long, and is lying in around 220 feet of water off the coast of Virginia.

The ROV technicians that the science team hired for this mission were Dennis and Kevin from the University of Connecticut. The name of the ROV is the Kraken 2. The ROV technicians took the time to show me the basic set up of the Kraken 2, and discuss with me the engineering design of the vehicle, and the routine maintenance procedures that had to be performed after each dive, as well as basic troubleshooting methods. All the electrical wiring throughout the ROV is encased in oil which does not conduct electricity, and does not compress. This particular vehicle was equipped with a hydraulic arm, pressure sensors, altimeter, lights, and several cameras showing views ahead, above, and below the unit. The ROV of course can to conformed and outfitted with many other sensors, and altered to perform a variety of task.

My duties this week consisted of making wire runs that were needed to support the ROV lab, assisting in loading the ROV and its supporting equipment, securing equipment to the deck, assist with the deployment and retrieval of the ROV, and stowing away lines and tools used for the day’s work, just to name a few.

When we arrived on station the ROV was deployed and I was allowed to watch the entire operation in the control lab with Dennis and Kevin. It was really neat to see, and a very tedious process coordinating the ROV’s movements with the ship, and the currents. To make a long story short the HAB CAM was located nose up in the wreckage, and the winch operator lowered a clip down to the ROV, which was attached to the CAM and brought to the surface. Keep in mind this whole process is not as easy as it sounds, and it took hours of tedious work to get this process done.

KG and Chip have also been working with me explaining the electrical systems aboard the R/V Sharp. Also, we have drawn up a schematic, of the winch systems throughout the vessel in order to familiarize me with the setup. The plan is to go through each system step by step as the internship moves along.

Well that is it for now, and as I am typing this up we are headed offshore with the HAB CAM, and dredge to begin the 2nd leg of the cruise. Talk to everyone latter.

Just a quick note. I have some pictures to share with everyone, but KG has not been able to locate his camera cord to allow him to upload the pictures.

Till next time,

Chris Petroff

Hello Everyone:

This first week of the internship has been a busy one. On May 16th I arrived at the airport in Salisbury, Maryland and was picked up by Tim Deering the Oceanographic Coordinator for the University of Delaware’s Marine Division. We had to travel by car for about 45 minutes to arrive at the ship’s home port. The route we took us through the country, and I have to say we passed through some very beautiful country side. When we arrived at the port Mr. Deering gave me a complete tour of the grounds and the research vessel. I got the chance to meet the crew as well, and everyone seemed really nice and accommodating. The rest of the afternoon we discussed the dredge set up and CTD operations which we would be performing during the four different legs of the cruise. 

I have spent the first part of the week assisting the crew with load testing all the cable and winch sytems that will be used to deploy the equipment, making wire runs throughout the dry lab, helping the science team load some of their equipment aboard, and installing lab tables for the science team’s computers, just to name a few. I have never gotten to engage in all the pre-cruise activities before, and I learned alot about the attention to detail and careful planning that goes into an offshore trip.

The dredge system we will be using is a NOAA Schallop dredge. Also, the science team will be employing the use of a HAB CAM video system to provide visual images of the sea floor to assess schallop populations. We will also be using the SBE 11 Plus CTD to collect water parameter data from the water column.

We departed the dock to head to our first station at 1950 on May 13th. The HAB Cam was deployed at 0230 on Friday morning, but after towing it for about five hours we lost the insturment when it struck an object lying on the seafloor. The next several hours was spent taking multi-beam images of the area in which the incident occured. After several hours collecting data we begin heading back to port to regroup. On the way back in the first dredge was performed as well as a CTD cast shortly after.

We are currently at the dock with plans to head back out Monday or Tuesday. An ROV will be used to locate, and hopefully retrieve the CAM.

Talk to everyone again soon.

Chris Petroff

Hello Everyone:

My name is Chris Petroff, and I am a student in the Marine Technology Program at Cape Fear Community College. I am getting ready to graduate on May 13, and in a few short days I will be flying to Delaware to being an internship on the R/V Sharpe UNOLS vessel.

I am grateful to get this valuable opportunity, and I look forward to meeting the ship’s crew and learning all I can. I will keep you posted as the internship progresses. Talk to everyone soon.

Chris Petroff

Well, we are currently heading back to Lewes, Delaware after completing leg two of the Navy Multibeam/Coring cruise.  As always, the science team was awesome.  We had terrible weather and had to spend a night at the docks at Woods Hole but still managed to get more than enough data needed from the coring.  Unfortunately our Vibracorer was too large so we were only able to use the gravity corer and the multicorer.  Either way, we collected lots of mud!  And worms!

 _{Operating the A-Frame}

I was very fortunate to meet family I had never met while we were docked in Woods Hole.  They happened to be there for a week and my mom sent them to the boat.  They showed me around and gave me information of the marine biology family history I have there.  It goes back five generations.

While at Woods Hole we ran into the crew of the NOAA vessel The Bigelow and were given a tour of the ship.  It’s so large and overwhelmingly confusing for your first run through.  I was very intrigued and plan to look into a few jobs through NOAA once we arrive back at the dock.  Just being within this community has opened a lot of doors I wouldn’t have had access to without this internship.  I owe MATE a huge thanks for that!

_{Crew of R/V Sharp on NOAA’s Bigelow}

For the past week on The Sharp we have been on a 24 hour multi beaming mission.  Today we recovered the mooring we deployed on July 24th and the next few days we will begin to fill in missed or ruined (by dolphins) data.  

_{^{Amber Batts and Mohsen Badiey (University of Delaware Dean) getting ready for mooring deployment (07/24/15)}}

One thing I can say about being on a ship is….things are constantly breaking.  For example, one of the monitors used (for navigation software) on the bridge decided it no longer wanted to turn on.  Thankfully there are two.  A replacement monitor was ordered and should be at the dock when we return on Monday (even though I entered in the wrong credit card number – a big oops).  Today, an external hard drive being used by the data processor for CARIS decided to freeze up.  It is the hard drive that contains the past ten days worth of processed data from the multi beam survey.  And even during recovery of the mooring, the acoustic release gave out an error that slightly held up operations.  

Point being….one should always be prepared to solve a problem quickly!  

I am on day 36 and cabin fever may be setting in but I do appreciate the ability to communicate via satellite internet!  That definitely helps.  I am at the halfway point of my internship and I believe my favorite part of this experience is getting to know some of these scientists.  There are some very interesting people on these cruises and I enjoy hearing stories of how they ended up in their chosen fields.  I don’t have anywhere near as interesting a story to tell back to them but it doesn’t matter.  

I’ve learned how to turn on a generator, which is actually quite easy, but nerve racking at the same time.  Well, for a first timer at least.  I was told if I didn’t do it right…..I’d probably blow up the entire ship 🙂

Hence the look on my face in the picture.  Needless to say, nothing blew up today. 

_{Turning on generator #2 for mooring recovery 07/30/15}

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.