Category: R/V F.G. Walton Smith Page 8 of 9

My name is Jessica Gronniger and I have had what most people would consider an unconventional life. I am half Brazilian and half American but I was born in Italy. Growing up I moved around a lot as my father worked in international education. At 23 years old I have already learned four languages and lived in nine different countries. Perhaps the toughest question I have to answer is “where am I from?” and it’s a question I seem to have to answer a lot. Well, in a life rife with change there are very few things that have remained constant. Among them is my passion for the ocean and a life on the water. No matter where I found myself in the world I always managed to find a way onto the water. I’ve lived aboard a 30 foot catamaran for a month with 17 other people, kayaked through tropical mangroves in Honduras, and spent hours with my college sailing team out on Lake Norman in North Carolina and yet I get the feeling that my previous adventures will pale in comparison to the F.G Walton Smith.

A year ago, I graduated from Davidson College with a B.S. in biology and I now find myself living in Leon, Nicaragua where I am collaborating on Zika research. While intellectual curiosity has often driven me towards lab work I have learned these past few years that I can’t spend my life locked in a laboratory. So, here I am, exploring a way to mix my passion for science with my love of the ocean, and being a marine technician seems to be the best of both worlds. Hopefully this will be the first step towards a future in marine research and a life at sea. I am incredibly excited about this opportunity and I hope I can make the absolute most of it. As my supervisor said, my job now is to be a sponge, and a sponge I shall be.

So here I sit, after a two hour bus ride on a highway that twists between active volcanos, lakes, and quaint rural towns I am finally in Managua (Nicaragua’s capital and location of one of the few international airports in the country) in an airport hotel eagerly awaiting for this new adventure to begin. So stay tuned as my latest journey unravels. I’m sure more exciting developments are yet to come.

This week started off with having a bit of a break before the next cruise. I used the time to explore Miami. I went to the Everglades – within them there was a place called Shark Valley – where there were tours on trams, bicycles, or on foot. The chief on the Walton Smith took me there and we walked around for a bit, but we decided to leave early because of all the mosquitos. I saw a dead alligator, which was interesting.

On the 4th, I viewed the fireworks at Coconut Grove. I enjoyed it a lot because not only could I see the fireworks they were firing in the grove, but fireworks were being shot from all over. I decided against going to one of the beaches to view the fireworks because they were packed with people on them.

In Coconut Grove, I also visited Barnacle Park (the front of the park is in the picture below with me and the large anchor). This park is a historical site within a busy shopping district.

Before we left for the cruise, on the 7th and 8th, I helped get everything on the boat ready for the cruise and did a little bit of fishing (as you can see below, I am a very skilled angler). On the 7th, I helped the second mate (Kevin) switch the Walton Smith’s small boat for a newer one. We went to a nearby boat ramp, I piloted the new one of the trailer and he put it the old on it. We then took it out for a test before returning to the Walton Smith.

Later on the 7th, Kevin and myself were trying to catch fish from the stern of the Walton Smith at dock. We baited them with old food the cook was going to throw out. This is the biggest fish I caught, Kevin caught a couple larger fish.

We departed the dock around 1130 on the 8th. The goal of this cruise is to sample sediment at a couple of dredge spoil sites. The scientists are looking at how the piles of sediment and rock have moved, they are testing it for things like PCB concentration and other things. The grab we are using is the one below. We are also using a CTD to gather water quality data.

The following day (today the 9th), they finished sampling at the first site, which I think was just off Miami. We should arrive at the next site (near Cape Canaveral) in the morning and resume sampling.

On this cruise so far, I have helped set up serial communication between the GPS and the scientist computer, deploy/ recover the grab and the CTD, and have lent a hand when needed.

On Monday the 26th of June, we set out on a three-day cruise. The goal of the cruise was to tag Mahi mahi and to try to keep certain sized ones, in these large blue containers (below), alive for 24 hours before releasing them. The scientists measured them and recorded the sex. The dead ones or the ones not within the size range they were trying to catch were dissected and further analyzed.

The mahi were caught with fishing poles trolling behind the vessel and from a smaller fishing boat (as is in the picture to the right). If the smaller boat caught one, the team on the Walton Smith would attach a tennis ball to a fishing pole and cast this ball to the smaller fishing boat. The team on the smaller fishing boat would then attach this line to the line they had caught a fish with, so that the Walton Smith team could then reel the fish in to them.

I helped mount the side pole on the port side of the Walton Smith ( picture below).

This pole had a vacuum on it that sucked in water that would fill the containers the fish were put in. Dennis, the marine technician, and myself would also deploy a carousel with nisken bottles and a CTD on it every evening for each of the three days. On this cruise, the scientists were mostly just catching fish, so there was some free time available for me. During this time, I learned to replace RJ45 (ethernet) connectors (picture below) that had become damaged on various CAT5 cables and learned about serial and ethernet communications.

Most of the fish were caught from the smaller boat and transferred to the Walton Smith. The fish were caught mostly between 0800 through 1600. We stayed in the Straits of Florida for most of the cruise. The water was very calm – I did not get sea sick at all and felt fine the whole time!

On Wednesday the 28, we returned from the cruise. For the following couple of days at the dock, I did the following: set up RS232 connections from the tech lab to a computer on in the dry lab for the next cruise, put together a tv antennae and wired it from atop the bridge into the mess area’s tv, learned how to crimp coaxial cables, prepared for the next cruise by bringing the bottom grab on the boat, and helped clean up around the vessel.

I am very grateful to Dennis for teaching me more about being a marine technician and for giving me an active role in assisting him. I learned some helpful tricks and skills that should come in handy down the road. I look forward to the next cruise, which starts on the 8th of July and goes to the 13th.

I arrived in Miami, Fl. on the 18th, and successfully found the vessel. On the way to the boat, I could not help but notice how much brighter and paradise-like Miami was compared to Wilmington, NC. The first couple of days on the vessel, I met with most of the crew and settled in. Everyone was extremely polite and welcoming. The morning after I arrived, we set off and started the first research cruise.

The scientific party utilized General Oceanic 10L niskin bottles, a SBE 32 Carousel, a SBE 911 CTD, plankton nets, and the ships underway sampling system. I was relieved when I saw what they were using because I have prior experience in use the carousel and plankton nets – albeit different size netting, smaller 2.5L bottles, a 19+ CTD, and a SBE 21 thermosalinograph instead of the SBE 45micro one they have here.

The marine technician, Don, helped show me where things were like the under system and was very accommodating in answering my questions and sharing tips and information. Our responsibility was to ensure the proper and safe use of the carousel and assist the scientist in deploying and recovering it.

The goal of the cruise was to sample waters from near RSMAS (where the vessel is docked) to the west coast of Florida in the Gulf. The goal of the overall project was to conduct a long-term study of specific sites and assess possible trends that could lead to further understanding things like red tides in the area or sedimentation in specific areas.

I know I am supposed to be taking pictures of myself doing things, but on this cruise, I was fairly sea-sick for Monday, Tuesday, and the beginning of Thursday, so I was, unfortunately, not as concerned about taking pictures as I was trying assist Don and get my ” sea legs”. It is unfortunate that I get sea-sick, but I still want to put my best foot forward and at least try to overcome it and have great time (which I am).

The next scientific cruise leaves tomorrow; I have been stuffing my face with ginger cookies and already have the patch on in anticipation for overcoming motion sickness. This next cruise’s goal is tagging of Mahi mahi. The science team will be conducting some CTDs, but it sounded to me as if that was not their main priority, so myself and Dennis, the head marine technician on this trip, might not have a lot to do. I am still looking forward to it and it should be a wonderful experience.

I will be leaving for Florida on the 18th of June; right now I am making sure I have a list of things I will need while on the internship. I have emailed back and forth with my host and have a good idea of everything I will need. I want to make sure I am prepared as I can be and am professional.

I consider myself very fortunate to be going on this internship at sea, and I am very excited to progress more as a marine technician and to experience working at sea. There will be three seperate research cruises I will be a part of – they offer the unique oppurtunity to broaden my knowledge and skills of various marine technical work.

In the days to come, I will be making sure that I have everything I need. Hopefully, I will not forget anything too important!

-Wolfgang Irrig

WEEK 9
September 4-10

  As I mentioned in the previous blog, R/V Walton Smith is scheduled for a month-long cruise to Cuba in October in order to conduct studies on the coral reef using an ROV.  One of the many preparations requires all of the scientific equipment to be inventoried. An Export Control Classification Number, (ECCN), must be provided for each piece of equipment.  

  I was given the responsibility of tracking these down, which involved speaking with each manufacturer.  I also had to record all serial numbers for each item, original purchase price paid, quantity, and a basic description.  After all the data was entered into an Excel file, it was sent through the governmental channels for approval.  

  Early Wednesday morning we prepared to depart for a two-day cruise with NOAA as part of their continuous studies on the Gulf Stream current.  The Chief Engineer was absent due to jury duty, and it appeared that the ship did not want to leave without him.  Before we had even left the dock, problems with the electrical system forced us to abort.

  It was later determined to be an issue with a breaker, and it was promptly replaced.  Since next week’s schedule only consists of a three-day cruise beginning Wednesday, NOAA’s cruise is deferred to this coming Monday and Tuesday.

  I spent the rest of the week fitting our CTD with brand new Niskin bottles, part of the shipment that arrived from Brazil last month.  With new bottles and freshly calibrated sensors, and a newly terminated 322 cable, the CTD is now in tip top shape.

  On Friday we were given the opportunity to attend shipboard crane operation training, conducted by Captain Lake.  We were instructed on proper rules and safety involving crane operation and will be given the chance to be tested in order to obtain an official certificate.

  Captain Lake is also a beekeeper on the side and I have had the opportunity to assist him in several related activities.  This weekend we began a removal job that involved hives located in two different spots up inside a soffit of a house in North Miami.

  It always impresses me that people spend the time and money to have honey bees removed, rather than simply killing them.  By the end of the weekend we had one of the hives relocated into frames and placed into a special wooden hive, which was left in the yard in order for the stragglers to move into.  We’ll return next weekend and tackle the other hive.

Stripping the CTD of the old Niskin bottles

WEEK 8
August 28-September 3

  The end of my stay here aboard R/V Walton Smith is in sight, and I’m pretty sure they are going to have to drag me away, kicking and screaming.  I’ve really become attached to my new home and family.  We are preparing for my final 3 cruises, making sure the dockside projects are all completed and that the vessel is in ship-shape.

  We are still having issues with a monitor in the bridge, and we have replaced all the components and cables…twice.  I’m beginning to think there is a ghost in the machine.

  Denis, the ship’s Marine Tech, and I cut a 15 meter section from the 322 cable used to deploy the CTD.  On the cruise that involved deploying the Tucker Trawl, it had become damaged as a result of the clumsy retrieval method.

  A short section of the counter-torque cable was unraveled, exposing the wires inside. The stainless steel termination was heated to melt the cerrobend inside, a metal alloy with a very low melting point of 158 degrees, comprised of bismuth, lead, tin and cadmium.  The strands of the counter-torque cable are wrapped in opposite directions, preventing the cable from twisting under a load.  Individual strands were separated and peeled back, then secured back to the cable with a winding of wire. The exposed wires were fed through the termination and out a hole in the side, and the exposed strands of cable were inserted into the bottom.  When the fresh cerrobend was melted and poured in, the splayed cable array served to secure the cable in place, much like rebar in cement.  When the cerrobend solidified, the three wires protruding from the side were then terminated and the cable was once again ready for use, as good as new.

  During the week we completed the horizontal testing of the deck tie-down sockets, using a load cell secured with shackles in line with a chain fall.  The new records were updated and filed for future reference.

  The ship is scheduled for a month-long trip to Cuba in October, and the extensive paperwork has been a nightmare for those involved in handling the logistics.  Next week I’ll be tasked with inventory duties in order to assist with this daunting effort.

Preparing the 322 cable for termination

WEEK 7
August 21-27

  Early Monday morning our Chef, Peter, was kind enough to drive me to the Fort Lauderdale Airport, which was about a 45 minute trek from the ship.  I boarded a 737 bound for Detroit, en route to Lansing, Michigan, where the memorial service for my good friend would be taking place.
  A week earlier, Chris Bapst had been killed as a result of an accident involving his own double-shot Derringer pistol.  Anyone who knew Chris knows he would never have intentionally taken his own life, and the suspicious circumstances surrounding his death have left us with a mystery that may never be solved.  His death remains an open investigation.
  The memorial service was a heart-wrenching event, but at the same time it was uplifting and healing as his friends and family celebrated the life of a wonderful friend and father.  A former bandmate and I had the honor of leading the service in song as we performed many of Chris’s favorites.  His loss will leave a very painful hole in our lives and in the world as we all try to move on, striving to follow the righteous examples for living that he exhibited.
  The next day I boarded a flight that took us through a tornado system in the Midwest, only to land in the path of a tropical storm, on its way toward developing into a hurricane.  
  We all watched the weather closely as we prepared to move the ship either inland up the Miami River, or else up the east coast of Florida, depending on the intensity of the storm.  As it turned out, neither plan would be necessary.  By the time it reached us we were on the outskirts of the storm, but we still experienced heavy (horizonal) rain and 45 mph winds.  The storm continued to gather strength and had finally developed into a full-blown hurricane by the time it made landfall just north of Tampa Bay.  This was the first to see land in Florida in some 10 years.
  In the days leading up to the storm, we began the horizontal testing of the the deck tie-down sockets, and also replaced the cable in the starboard crane, which had begun to fray due to damage it had incurred the previous week.
  On Saturday, Captain Lake, (who also plays the banjo), and I attended the weekly Bluegrass Jam Session in Hollywood, FL.  This is an impressive gathering of talented musicians that meets every weekend at an old fire station and trades licks, performing a fine array of Bluegrass standards.
  Afterward it was on to Luna Star Cafe in North Miami, where I was able to perform several of my original songs at their Open Mic session, which takes place every other weekend.  I’m really growing to love this town.

RIP Chris Bapst

WEEK 6
August 14-20

  Since the only two cruises that had been scheduled this month were canceled, we will be working on maintenance both shipboard and around the facility of Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. This is located on a slice of paradise known as Virginia Key, which lies 3 miles off the coast in between Miami and Key Biscayne.
  Vertical load testing of the deck tie-down sockets has been completed, so we have moved on to the 45° tests.  This will prove to be less time consuming, since two sockets are tested at the same time.  The only trick is to plan the pairs so that we don’t repeat any, since some are tested to 2500 pounds and others to only 1250 pounds (125% of rated load). There are over 200 individual sockets to be tested, each one requiring about ten minutes, so this is quite a time consuming task.
  A shipping container arrived from Brazil containing new equipment as well as freshly recalibrated sensors, so we spent a day unloading those contents into a new lab space, as well as moving gear from the existing space.  This included half a dozen large metal cabinets, requiring four of us and a fork truck to move, but all went smoothly.  
  It was also time to service the deionization filters in the ship’s reverse osmosis system.  This, of course is what transforms seawater into clean fresh water for the scientists, as well as drinking water.
  On Thursday I received devastating news.  One of my best friends back in Michigan had been tragically killed due to a gunshot wound.  He and I had known each other for many years, and he was one of the noblest souls to ever walk the face of the earth.  To say it was a tragedy would an enormous understatement.  Needless to say, I was paralyzed with grief for the next several days, and began trying to arrange a flight home.  
  Both the MATE Center and UM staff were incredibly understanding and accommodating, something that really meant a lot to me in this dark hour.  By Saturday I had made all the preparations to return for the funeral, and I struggled through the weekend in a haze.

deck tie-down socket testing

WEEK 5
August 7-13

 So far, August has been fairly uneventful. Initially, there were two 10 day cruises planned for this month working with the US Navy, and I had been looking forward to these projects. Unfortunately, though, the cruises had to be postponed and R/V Walton Smith was unable to accommodate the changes.
  One of these involved assisting with an exercise referred to as shock trials.  When the Navy produces a new design of a warship, they take it out to sea and detonate 10,000 pound ordnance near it, (fully manned), in order to gather data on the effects of the blasts regarding structural integrity, etc., and reevaluate before sending into full production.
  The research vessel’s function is to ensure that the location for the tests is relatively free of sea mammals. If they are present, the operation is moved to a different location. After the testing is completed, the research team then surveys the site for damage to sea life.
  Just before I arrived on board, the Walton Smith had participated in one of these operations. It was initially kept secret until reports of an ‘earthquake’ off the coast of Jacksonville begin to roll in. At that point the US Navy was forced to disclose details about the operation.
  Another cruise that was cancelled involved a project known as USWTR, Undersea Warfare Training Range.  This is a network of sonar and other various acoustic sensors located 50 nautical miles of the coast of Jacksonville.  This subsea network processes and displays tracking data for ships, submarines, targets, weapons, and unmanned undersea vehicles.
  During my first week aboard the ship, I was informed that schedules change quite frequently, but I still was disappointed not to be able to take part in these exercises. 
  As a result, we remained alongside and tended to the deck tie-down socket testing.  This must be performed once annually.  For each of the sockets, three separate load tests must be conducted: vertical, 45 degree, and horizontal. 
  I was also tasked with creating a document as per UNOLS Safety Standards, Appendix B, that describes the process in detail for each of the three tests.  This included a list of tools needed, step-by-step details, and photographs.  This document is then filed in the ship’s records for reference in future testing.
  As I mentioned in last week’s report, R/V Walton Smith sadly lost our Second Mate, James Sauers, to a boating accident last week.  On Saturday, the ship’s crew, along with the entire Marine Operations staff, attended his memorial in Coral Gables.  It was a heart-wrenching event, but the sight of all the green UM Marine Ops shirts that lined the outer perimeter was an inspiring sight.  The family expressed their deep gratitude and appreciation for the show of support, and I was truly proud to be included in the ranks.
  James was a great man and this tragedy will surely weigh on us all for a long time to come. (photo below)