Hello everyone! I’m Katie Wade, a recent Ocean Engineering graduate from the Florida Institute of Technology. Soon I’ll be heading to Oregon to join the WHOI Alvin Team on the RV Atlantis for a research cruise along the Juan de Fuca Ridge, where I’ll be working as a Mechanical Engineering Intern.
I grew up in Merritt Island, Florida, which fostered a deep love, respect, and curiosity for the ocean. For me, nothing beats a day on the water, so I’ve always hoped to blend fieldwork into my career. I never expected that pursuit would lead to such an incredible adventure—I’m deeply grateful to the Alvin Team and the MATE Program for this opportunity.
During my undergrad, I spent two years at the Center for Corrosion and Biofouling Control (CCBC), where I worked in a multidisciplinary environment that deepened my understanding of how marine life intersects with engineering. I also helped design and build an ROV as part of a team project, which inspired me to pursue underwater robotics. So, I’m excited to continue growing both my ecological knowledge and technical skills on this cruise to become a better engineer!
Here are some pictures of me with other students from the CCBC and working on deck the RV Hogarth during a marine field project last summer.
Hi! My name is Aidan Lee, and I am one of the interns working with the electrical team of the HOV Alvin through Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on the R/V Atlantis in early September. I’ll be boarding in Newport, Oregon after meeting with the team in Portland, and I’m excited to get to meet everyone there! I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle, and joined a remotely operated vehicles robotics team competing in the MATE ROV Competition during my time as an undergraduate. I’m looking forward to seeing what ways my technical skills from developing ROVs can apply to the HOV Alvin at sea!
Below I’ve included a few pictures of me, some of which are during the 2025 MATE ROV Competition in Alpena, Michigan. I’ve got friends on the team who have previously been MATE interns who speak very highly of the program, so I want to make the most of my experience here.
I will be back with another update in approximately another week or so. See you guys then!
On the 1st of July, we completed our final dive operation and started on post cruise tasks. Instead of rolling the sub all the way back into the hanger, we rolled to the middle of the deck and pulled off all the skins (large fiberglass panels that cover the exterior systems). Laying all of the skins on the deck of the ship, we began spraying down every inch of the submersible with a special titanium safe detergent solution. We used large scrub brushes to clean the syntactic foam surfaces and the removed skins. After the cleaning, we reinstalled most of the skins and rolled the sub back inside the hanger.
The Alvin submersible getting a thorough post cruise cleaning.
The next morning, we arrived back in Dutch Harbor and continued our post cruise duties. One of my roles during this period was to prepare all of the sub’s hydraulic and oil compensated systems for hibernation. This involved hooking up a vacuum pump to every junction box reservoir and hydraulic system one at a time. I then slightly drain down the fluid level in each volume. For humidity sensitive systems, such as the 2 main junction boxes, I would replace the oil as it was drained with nitrogen gas, ensuring no humid air would be introduced into the new atmosphere. Draining down these systems ensures temperature changes during transit and other expeditions will not build excess pressure inside the delicate boxes.
Beautiful morning arriving back into Dutch Harbor
Port side Main junction box (left), and battery contactor box (Right), both drained down a few inches.
Once all systems were prepared, we installed the huge blue car-style canvas cover, ensuring Alvin would stay nice and clean while not being used.
Alvin under the big cover.
The day of July 3rd, we finished tidying up all of the Alvin work spaces and buttoned down the equipment that won’t be used for a while. We then spent the next few hours cleaning our rooms and packing up all of our belongings, getting ready to disembark the Atlantis. In the early afternoon, I disembarked for the last time and got a ride to the grand Aleutian hotel! The Alvin team and I didn’t fly out of Dutch Harbor until the 5th, so we had a few days to explore the breathtaking landscape.
After we left Dutch Harbor on the 5th, we landed in Anchorage. I stayed another two days there with a few members of the Alvin team, exploring the area.
The following section is basically a photo album of my favorite pictures and fondest memories, including my adventures in Dutch harbor and anchorage.
Work in progress photo of my hand painted helmet!
The 2 most incredible dive day sunrises.
An awesome picture taken by Lance Wills. The picture shows the Alvin submersible being brought in by the tow line. The person standing at the right corner of the ship is me watching the recovery!
A silly picture of Myself, Alex on the left and Colten on the right. Two members of the ship’s crew.
Mt Cleveland left and Mt Carlisle right, two of the incredible volcanos that make up The Islands Of The Four Mountains.
One of the Aleutian islands emerging from the fog during a rainstorm.
Moving onto my land based adventures, there were many! From hiking to the summit of one of the Aleutian mountains to hanging out around a bonfire with some of the incredible folks that call Dutch Harbor home.
3 photos I captured from the peak of Amaknak Island Unalaska.
An incredible view and a snowmelt pond near one of Unalaska’s peaks.
A few of my favorite rock stacks I made on a beach in Dutch harbor.
Sitting around a bonfire behind the Norwegian Rat Saloon, after the cruise.
Resting in a meadow after a hike in anchorage, with some of the Alvin team. Wren, Molly, Janna, and Nick.
Two more pictures from our adventures in Anchorage.
Lastly here is a photo of me! This photo was taken the night we first arrived in Dutch harbor after the 11 day transit from San Diego.
This adventure has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The opportunity to work on the Alvin team as a mechanical technician, even for a month, is something truly unique and an adventure I won’t soon forget. Thank you for reading my blog posts! I hope you enjoyed my adventure, because I certainly did!
Since my last post, I have concluded my technical internship aboard the R/V Atlantis. Now that I’m back home, I can take some time to update my blog and tell the story of Alvin Dive operations.
Departing Dutch harbor on June 15, we set sail further west along the Aleutian chain.
Pilot boat pacing alongside the Atlantis waiting to pick up the Pilot.
Arriving at our first dive location on the 15th a few miles off Bogoslof island, my job was to arrange the science basket by installing and moving around push cores and bio quivers, attaching Niskins, and securing bio boxes. I would meet with the Alvin Pilots frequently, getting feedback on equipment position and making changes to ensure the instruments were in optimal positions for the robotic arms to access.
Science basket prepared for first dive operation
The morning of the 16th at 5:30am, we started completing the first pre-dive checklists of the expedition. My role as a mechanical technician that morning was to top off all of the compensated volumes on the vehicle. These are oil filled volumes that enclose various critical systems including the main junction boxes, battery contactors, and solenoids. There were 3 main types of oils that I would top off: bray, carnation, and hydraulic. Topping off these volumes included plugging in a portable pump sprayer, with the desired oil, into one of the the fill ports on the vehicle and connecting a drain bottle to the opposite end of the system. I would then lightly pressurize the system, monitoring the fluid entering the drain bottle, ensuring there were no air or waters pockets within the system. This process was repeated for each of the 14 main oil compensated volumes on the port and starboard side of the sub.
Taking a short break from pre-dive tasks to watch this breathtaking sunrise over the Bering Sea.
My morning tasks would vary by day. Sometimes I would polish and inspect the windows while other days I would spend most of the pre-dive making basket adjustments, ensuring all the sample collection devices were arranged how the science team and pilot preferred.
Testing the port side manipulator to ensure all joints are functioning properly.
Next, we would roll the sub out onto the back deck, and install the drop weights. These six weights are the main form of major buoyancy adjustment. All six attached allows the sub to descend fast, release two weights to achieve neutral buoyancy, and release an additional two weights to ascend to the surface. The last two weights are reserved to allow additional weight loss, in case extra buoyancy is needed to resurface. These weights are installed using specially designed hand carts that lift them using a hand-crank style forklift mechanism.
Installing steel drop weights alongside Alvin Mechanical Technician, Wren Sakai.
Deploying The Submersible
After all pre-dive checks are completed and signed off, the sub is attached to the LARS (launch and recovery system). The sub is attached to the LARS by several points: a tail line to prevent rotation, a main line wrapped around a titanium T-shaped lifting point, and a large hook that actuates downwards, locking into the lifting T. The pilot and scientific observers enter the submersible, and the hatch is sealed. Two divers are positioned on top of the submersible, and the vehicle is lifted off the deck of the ship. Once the vehicle is over the water, the main line is tightened, allowing the hook to release the vehicle. The main line then lowers the vehicle into the water. Once the sub is floating, the swimmers detach the main line and the tail line, allowing the sub to drift away from the ship. After some final checks, the basket support lines are removed, and the sub is ready to dive. The work boat picks up the swimmers, and the sub floods its ballast tanks, allowing the vehicle to begin sinking.
LARS moving into position to be hooked up to the Alvin sub.
Recovery Operations
After the science dive, we would stage the deck for recovery one hour before the sub surfaced. This included ensuring the tow line was ready to be deployed, and laying out various tools such as drills used to loosen the subs panels and drain bottles for fluid inspection.
The recovery would begin by first lowering the work boat into the water off the side of the ship. The work boat then cruises ahead of the ship to meet the Alvin sub as it surfaced. The boat drops off two swimmers who prepare the vehicle for recovery. When the vehicle is ready to be picked up, one swimmer stays on the sub while the other swimmer boards the work boat. The boat drives back to the ship and positions itself behind the Atlantis, as the ship slowly approaches the sub. We then lower the rear lifelines and prepare to throw the tow line to the work boat. Passing the tow line to the work boat was sometimes my role during the recovery. Once the sub was halfway past the ship, I would toss the heavy rope and floating hook to the work boat. The heavy rope attached to the center-back of the ship would pay out line, and I would monitor the amount of line remaining while communicating with the recovery coordinator. The work boat then intercepts the submersible as the tow line swimmer dives off the work boat, attaching the tow line to the back of the sub. The swimmers then deploy a sea anchor, a sort of underwater parachute secured to the submersible. This allows the sub to be held in tension behind the ship as it is reeled in like a big fish. Once the sub is directly behind the ship, the tail line is lowered and attached to the sub, soon followed by the main line. The sub can then be lifted out of the water and the swimmers dive off the side of the sub to be recovered by the work boat.
Swimmers diving off Alvin as it’s lifted from the water.
One of my frequent jobs was to remove the tow line from the back of the sub after it had been lifted over the deck and as it was being lowered. I would then immediately move into post dive tasks.
One of the Alvin technicians, Scott, removing the tow line as the sub is being lifted onto the deck
Post Dive
Once the sub landed on deck, the Alvin team and I would move in with pins to secure any remaining weights, install life lines, rinse down the sub with fresh water, and place protective covers over the windows.
Me rinsing down the windows and cameras post dive.
The work boat being lifted out of the water right after recovery.
During the majority of post dives, I would sit beside the sub right after it landed on deck and check every oil volume for traces of water intrusion. I would plug a waste bottle into 19 different oil volume drain lines, one at a time, and inspect for water or abnormalities. During this time, the scientists and pilot climb out of the sub and are welcomed by an applaud from the crew and science team. We then roll the sub back into the hanger and finish an extensive list of post-dive inspections and tasks. My usual job was working the scientists. I assisted in removing various equipment and samples from the basket, so the scientists can begin their analysis and packaging of specimens.
My perspective of checking compensated volumes for water.
This formed the pattern that most days followed with the occasional excitement where I would be asked to repair or inspect components that had failed during the dive. These tasks meant anything from reinstalling damaged mounting brackets on the science basket to disassembling and re-compensating large brushless thruster and hydraulic motors.
One of the large brushless motors partially disassembled and filled with WD40 to drive out any possible moisture.
The 18 day science expedition proved to be a big success! Despite several dive days being canceled due to weather conditions, we were still able to accomplish nearly all of the 13 dives we set out to complete.
Keep an eye out for one more blog update describing the post cruise activities including preparing the Alvin for its next few months of rest and even the non-work related adventures I was able to go on while in Alaska.
Today is day 17 aboard the R/V Atlantis! After 11 days on the pacific ocean, we have finally arrived in Dutch Harbor, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me start from the beginning. Boarding the ship, I was immediately met by a welcoming team who I would soon realize are some of the coolest, most genuinely passionate and skilled engineers in the world.
Forewarning this post has lots of pictures.
Walking back to the R/V Atlantis at night, with the backdrop of the San Diego skyline.
I spent the next several days working closely with the Alvin team, preparing the submersible and its supporting work spaces for the transit cruise ahead. These tasks included everything from organizing and cleaning the machine shop to assisting with the removal and inspection of Alvin’s viewport windows.
Cleaning and inspection of Alvin’s starboard forward window.
Leaving port in San Diego.
On Sunday, June 1st, we set sail on our journey to Dutch Harbor. Within 24 hours of leaving San Diego, we were greeted by 3 days straight of rough, unforgiving, turbulent ocean. Turning wrenches while getting covered in hydraulic fluid and fighting to keep your balance in 20 foot seas really tests your grit. The only escape from this constant roller coaster happened at night. The loud banging of waves crashing against the boat, the roar of the engines, and the shifting of every secured item in the ship trying to escape, formed a loud symphony, aggressively rocking you to sleep.
This sleep was occasionally disrupted by being thrown into the wall of your bunk by a large wave, or, in my case, the horrible sound of a gallon of bleach finding its way out of a cabinet in my room, flying through the air, and exploding against the opposite wall! Needing to evacuate your room at 3am because of a chemical spill is a rude awakening, one I will never forget.
Despite the challenges, this transit cruise was one of the most incredible experiences of my life so far. Having the opportunity to put my skills to the test in such a demanding environment is extremely rewarding.
Here are a few notable pictures I took during transit.
Here are 2 photos captured from the same angle. The first shows the back of the ship being pushed well above the horizon. The second picture shows the large swell as it continued on its journey.
Here is a picture of the rough unforgiving ocean captured from a hydro lab port side window.
This is a small part of the variable ballast hydraulics system featuring the accumulator, one of the many systems I have done maintenance on during transit.
A beautiful 10pm sunset off the port side. The first calm water in days.
Breathtaking view as we crossed over the Aleutians into the Bering Sea.
A perfectly cold and beautiful morning, arriving in Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
Since arriving in Dutch Harbor, the Alvin team has been hard at work preparing the submersible for the upcoming dive expedition. However, the convenient midnight sunset allows plenty of daylight for exploring this breathtaking new scenery after work.
Preparing to install Alvin’s Ballast tanks.
The view from Fort Schwatka on Amaknak Island, featuring Broad Bay, and Fort Learnard on the far cliffs.
This opportunity has been incredible so far, and it’s just the beginning. Tomorrow June 15, we will be departing on our 18 days of dive operations, exploring what lies bellow the surface of this breathtaking place!
Hello readers! My name is Daniel Silguero, and this is my introduction. I am not quite a writer and never have been, so bear with me. I am currently a student at California Polytechnic University, Pomona, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Collecting the coherent thoughts to write this post is not an easy task. My mind is flooded with anxious excitement because later today I will board the RV Atlantis, setting sail on an adventure I have dreamed about since I was a little kid. Every academic goal and achievement I have accomplished have been small and deliberate stepping stones toward this moment!
For as long as I can remember, I have had a fascination with the aquatic world and a passion for engineering. I would spend much of my free time building, breaking, soldering, and sealing small underwater robots attempting to see what’s deeper than I can swim. Now, its finally time to step onboard and play my role in real-world deep sea ocean research, working alongside some of the most brilliant technicians in the industry.
Over the next 5 weeks, I will be part of the Alvin submersible team, sailing along the Aleutian islands of Alaska. I will be learning the intricacies of maintaining and operating a state of the art manned submersible system while finally experiencing what my younger self could only dream of.
I don’t think its possible to effectively describe the way I feel. The emotions of knowing how hard I have worked to be here are immense and I just know this is where I belong!
Over the next few weeks, I look forward to posting updates of my journey, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store!
Time has been slipping through my fingers like so many grains of sand, especially on this cruise. And just like that, the penultimate dive day is upon us all. There are no words to encapsulate the experience of working on the Alvin Ops team and with the amazing scientists and boat crew! I will have the whole of transit to get used to the idea of leaving, but I definitely am already a lil misty just thinkin about it.
We have been in the Sea of Cortez since the end of March. The science mainly involves the utilization of mud cores and water samplers (niskin bottles or brine bottles). The weather is extremely calm out here, as if we were on a lake. The coast is aligned along one horizon typically on the port side of the ship, and all that can be seen is a silhouette of mountain ranges. There is not much to add from the day to day that differs from my previous posts, so I intend to offer some advice to any potential MATE interns. Network, network, network. Talk to everyone, and pick their brains. Time tends to fly at sea, at least for me. There are some incredible people that work on board UNOLS vessels, and they are all very personable and willing to chat. If you are interested in the science, the scientists are always excited to share their work and talk about their research. Squeeze every ounce out of the MATE internship, because it will get you some very valuable connections, skills, and experience. When it comes to working on board be that person that is always willing to help. If you are left without a task don’t pull out your phone. Start cleaning, organizing, scrub every inch of a space if it keeps you busy. Be enthusiastic and positive, I promise that it won’t go unnoticed. When you are spending an extended period of time on board a ship the world shrinks to the size of the ship, and that means that you stand out more easily. In the good and the bad. A good mood goes a long way as well as a good work ethic.
It is a good thing this version of the R/V Atlantis isn’t a sailboat. With land in sight and the sea of Cortez, we are diving Alvin in an extremely flat sea, which is extremely beautiful. The reality below the surface is less tranquil, with exciting evidence of recent destructive seismic events. It was very cool to hear the accounts of this exciting development immediately upon recovery of Alvin and see the videos of this dynamic area of the ocean floor in the science meeting later tonight. The kind of research communities present on research vessels is unparalleled and a joy to be a part of.
We are back into the routine – and I could not be happier! The ritual of preparing the sub for launch before the sun comes up – and recovering it before dinner is an incredibly rewarding way to structure the day on a ship. The Alvin team is singularly lucky in that the entire team is awake and working during the same periods, as opposed to having different watches. On top of that, only diving during daylight hours allows us to have a relatively normal schedule. The Joye cruise is a very interesting mix of science and promises to be exciting and educational.
