Category: R/V Sikuliaq Page 1 of 5

A lot of this week has been learning the basics: cables! Though cables may not be the most eye-catching blog post ever, they are an extremely important part of marine research and are essential in the proper functionality of research equipment. This week, I developed wire mapping skills using a LinkRunner AT-2000. My goal was to trace the unlabeled cables running through our main patch panel to their instruments, effectively filling the gaps in the labeling system. This took me all over the ship – bridge, electricians workshop, mainlab, ect.

I also gained experience this week pulling and running a new cable for the OS 150 ADCP sonar system. Running a new cable is harder than it may appear – passing the cable through roxtec units designed to prevent any water penetration through bulkheads can be complicated. Additionally, I learned the importance of avoiding cable attenuation, particularly in cables transmitting sensitive data that can easily lose resolution. The Sikuliaq team accomplished replacing the OS 150 cable, running a smooth route through the ship to the transducer flat. The amount of cables onboard a research vessel can be staggering. Knowing how to map and trace their patterns really helped me put together how data is transmitted from one system to the next.

Additionally, this week I prepped the top of the centerboard for welding a new reference position mark. This required full PPE and working in a very tight environment (see photos below for PPE and a view of the workspace before wire wheeling/primer). I wire wheeled the surface of the centerboard to ensure it was smooth, and I will be adding a coat of primer next.

This was a challenging work environment. However, I now feel confident that I know how to properly utilize PPE and accomplish difficult tasks in tiny spaces. Wire wheeling rust away can also be very satisfying.

-Paige FitzPatrick

Hey everyone!

The highlight of this week has been working on the Ocean Surveyor 150 ADCP sonar transducer well. Sonar wells allow access to the transducer from inside of the hull. These wells must be completely watertight as the sonar can only operate effectively in water. We first removed the lid from the well, using a chainfall to lift the heavy lid above the well to give us access to the transducer. The OS 150 transducer was unplugged from its cable and lifted from the well for cleaning. I prepared the well for a fresh gasket to ensure a watertight seal when the ship goes back in the water, using a wire wheel and a fresh coat of primer to create a smooth gasket flange and well. I cut the new gasket and additionally prepped inside the well with sound-dampening corporene material using 5200 marine-grade adhesive.

Learning to work with equipment that must create a water-tight seal has been a very valuable learning experience. Additionally, using socket wrenches that are more than half my height has given me more confidence in taking on more challenging engineering and technology tasks (see giant socket wrench pictured below).

Choosing the right tool for the job is half the battle.

-Paige FitzPatrick

We have officially made it into drydock! Early in the morning, a group of tugs helped push R/V Sikuliaq off our docking into the submerged drydock structure. The drydock is a large structure designed to lift large ships out of the water by pumping water from a submerged platform beneath the ship.

Getting out of the water has allowed the team to move forward with many projects. In our first few days dry, we were able to remove all of the ice windows and sonar systems from the flat region of the hull dedicated to sonar systems. This area is called the sonar flat. We removed the 75 kHz ADCP, OS 150 kHz ADCP, EM 302 multibeam transducer array, EM 710 multibeam transducer array, and TOPAS PS-18 parametric sub-bottom profiler. The transducers and the ice windows that protect the scientific equipment from polar ice impacts are both extremely heavy and extremely sensitive. There is just over 5 ft between the hull and the dock, leaving very limited room to work. We had to support the heavier instruments using wooden dunnage and support the lighter sonars by hand.

(Above) Sonar flat with ice windows and transducers still in place.

(Above) One portion of the EM 710 multibeam transducer array was removed.

All of these sonars are synchronized through a system called K-Sync, preventing the sonars from pinging at the same time. I have really enjoyed seeing how this system is physically connected throughout the ship. Working directly with the instrumentation has helped me clarify the transition of a sonar ping from physical signals to electrical signals that are carried to the lab through carefully considered cable routing.

-Paige FitzPatrick

Week two onboard R/V Sikuliaq has primarily featured maintenance on the advanced system of winches. R/V Sikuliaq has an oceanographic traction winch system and two hydrographic winches to support a wide variety of scientific research expeditions. Winch systems play a critical role in oceanographic research. They are responsible for suspending heavy equipment from the ship into the depths, often carrying data directly to the laboratories onboard. This week, we unspooled the winch wires for re-lubrication and maintenance. This required a spooling system on the dock to take up slack and communicate with the winch system onboard. To prevent damage to the wires and to ensure proper wire spooling in the winch drum, tension was kept between the onshore spooling device and the ship’s winches. The many moving parts of this operation required direct and clear communication. If the onshore spooling device continued to run while the onboard winch stopped, the wire could snap. Our team was able to successfully lubricate our winch systems, ensuring proper functionality during upcoming research cruises.

We additionally checked the integrity of the wire insulation using a megohmeter. This test applied a high voltage to the winch wire to measure the amount of leakage coming through the wire’s insulation. We tested both the winch wire and the slipring that connects the rotating winch drum to the data cable leading to the ship’s laboratories.

One of my additional projects this week was rearranging the aft mainlab LAN (local area network) rack.

This rack houses the EK80 sonar system transceivers, shown in black. These devices transmit and receive information from the transducers located in the centerboard shoe. To rearrange this rack, I removed the transceivers, power strip, and din rail. I reinstalled the equipment with a more streamlined approach to improve equipment accessibility. Additionally, I installed a new drawer for the Raspberry Pi computers housed in this rack. This quired CAD drawing and 3D printing of a component to secure the shelf to the LAN rack.

Lastly, we removed the domes! The domes formerly housed a HighSeasNet satellite communication dish. The ship is moving to a OneWeb system, utilizing a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation for our redundant global internet access system.

Connecting how systems send and receive messages has been a critical learning component of this week. I have found it very interesting to see how the software interface operated at sea interacts and connects to the physical sensor units we are servicing at drydock.

-Paige FitzPatrick

Hello everyone!

I have completed my first week onboard R/V Sikuliaq as a MATE intern! Getting an introduction to the vast array of scientific equipment onboard has been an incredible first-week experience. One of my favorite things to learn about R/V Sikuliaq is how her equipment is specialized to face harsh, icy conditions in the Arctic and the Antarctic. We are currently docked in Oakland, California. This week was all hands on deck, preparing the ship to be lifted out of the water. One of our major projects was the removal of the EK80 sonar system transducers from the centerboard shoe. The centerboard is a large retractable structure within the hull of R/V Sikuliaq that houses sensitive sonar equipment. The centerboard extends beneath the hull when the equipment is in use, gathering high-quality seafloor mapping and acoustic data. When the instruments are not in use, and particularly when the research vessel is facing icy seas, the centerboard retracts within the hull. The centerboard shoe is the housing at the bottom of the centerboard that holds the transducers.

Working inside the centerboard shaft is a very unique experience. The centerboard shaft almost resembles an elevator shaft. A metal grate is placed in the area beneath the retracted centerboard. The ocean lies beneath the grate, with the centerboard looming overhead. It is not a place to fear heights or confined spaces. We were able to successfully remove the transducers, requiring very careful use of tools to pry the instruments from their seats. The face of the transducers is very sensitive and has to be handled with extreme care.

Above is a photo of me inside the centerboard shoe after the removal of the EK-80 transducers. The space is very small, but I feel right at home! Below is a photo of the removed sensors, stored in an unused refrigerator.

Other smaller projects included designing and printing new caps for the upward and downward facing sky temperature and sea surface temperature sensors, climbing to the top mast to inspect the meteorological equipment, studying how instruments communicate throughout the ship, and exploring Alameda Island. It has been a great first week with the crew!

-Paige FitzPatrick

Hello everyone!

My name is Paige FitzPatrick, and I am the new UNOLS-MATE intern onboard R/V Sikuliaq! I will be training with the team of marine technicians during the upcoming drydock period.

I love creative problem-solving and am very interested in fabrication in marine science. I learned seamanship skills as a scuba instructor before studying a degree in Marine Affairs at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Sciences (RSMAES) with the University of Miami. In my time at RSMAES, I developed a passion for 3D printing, marine research, and vessel operations. I completed my undergraduate degree studying Marine Affairs both onshore and at sea with the crew of R/V F.G. Walton Smith, training in marine technology and shipboard engineering. I earned my 100-ton USCG Captain’s License and QMED Marine Engineering License in this position. I was able to research 3D printing applied to subsea instrumentation with the Makers Marine Technology Fabrication Laboratory, further inspiring my passion for this field. I am always excited to better my seamanship skills and expand my knowledge.

You will most likely find me on my paddleboard outside of work. I love photography and being on the water, ideally with a pair of binoculars for spotting cool birds. I am so excited to be training with the incredible team onboard R/V Sikuliaq and am grateful for the opportunity to join the MATE internship! This program will help me take the next steps in achieving my goal of becoming a seagoing marine technician.

Happy (belated) Halloween!

After fighting some rough winds through the Bering Strait, the Sikuliaq has arrived in the operations area as planned! And the rumors are true: the arctic is very cold. The ocean is green and black and so cold that every wave hurls sleet up onto the deck. We all stay inside as much as possible, except for a few nights ago when everyone gathered on the bridge deck to view the northern lights.

This second week has been all about getting into a steady routine. The science team is busy monitoring the multibeam seafloor map and sub-bottom profiler in between casting CTDs, collecting samples, and servicing meteorological buoys. Up on the bridge, the mates and the captain have been fighting the wind and waves (up to 40 knots and 10 feet tall, respectively!) to keep us stable and on the correct heading. And the engineering crew runs the tightest ship I’ve ever seen- a ship like the Sikuliaq requires a labyrinth of machinery to operate in extreme climates like the arctic, and they keep it spotless and running smoothly every single day.

As a marine tech, my job is to collaborate with all of these groups and to help with operations in any capacity I can. I especially enjoyed helping the engineers service the A-frame hydraulics; machinery of that scale is fascinating to me, and I appreciated the chance to get some grease on my brand new work gloves! Another highlight was joining the crew in one of the small boats to recover a meteorological buoy. It’s hard to really appreciate the sheer size and power of the Sikuliaq until you’re sitting in a three-person raft and watching it bear down on you.

I’m excited to see what this coming week holds!

My first week aboard the R/V Sikuliaq has flown by! After arriving in Seward, Alaska, I leapt at the opportunity to do a bit exploring. Seward is a beautiful town with a lot of history, but it’s quiet this time of year as the tourist season winds to a close.

The weather cleared up as the Sikuliaq got underway! The extended maintenance period at the dock in Seward turned out to be a blessing in disguise: the delay prevented us from sailing through an intense storm cell in the Bering Sea. So, we began our transit that would take us through Unimak Pass, along the western coast of Alaska, and eventually through the Bering Strait and across the Arctic Circle.

Today is day 8 of our transit. Winds around 30 knots have been whipping up the waves and slowing our progress towards the Bering Strait– and the turbulence was enough to knock my sea legs right out from under me! I have noticed that the color of the sea has changed the further north we have gone; I have some theories but if anyone happens to know why this is, I would love to learn!

During the transit, I have been getting acquainted with the ship, the crew, and my duties and responsibilities as a Marine Technician. Some projects I’ve tackled so far are installing and calibrating sensors on the CTD array, replacing batteries in universal power system banks, and learning the daily maintenance of tools like the uncontaminated seawater system that allow for the continuous collection of valuable environmental data. In the next week or so, I expect that we will have crossed the Arctic Circle and reached the operations area; I hope to see some ice fields and maybe a polar bear (from a distance.)

The SECURE-IT cyber training cruise aboard the R/V Sikuliaq has come to an end, and I’m writing this final post while taking in the cold Alaskan air after days of navigating the Pacific. It’s hard to put into words how transformative this experience has been, both technically and personally.

Each day onboard was a full-immersion dive into maritime cybersecurity and cyberinfrastructure. We configured segmented networks using Fortinet firewalls, utilized Proxmox virtual environments, and worked with legacy systems still commonly found in real-world maritime operations. We tackled bandwidth limitations, satellite communications, and network segmentation in a way that mirrored actual at-sea constraints—and that’s not something you can fully simulate in a classroom.

One of the most impactful parts of this experience was the people. Having such a diverse crew—ranging from seasoned technologists and marine technicians to undergraduate students from across the country—created an environment rich in what’s known as tacit knowledge. These are the kinds of insights that aren’t always written down—techniques, workarounds, and instincts that come from time spent in the field. Watching the experienced professionals troubleshoot or explain their setups gave me a much deeper appreciation for the human element in technical problem-solving.

Another standout for me was having Tyler Peterson, a former MATE intern, onboard. His background as a marine technician and his experience with more traditional MATE internships helped bridge the gap between the classic marine tech path and this first-of-its-kind cruise focused on Information Technology, cybersecurity, and cyberinfrastructure. While we weren’t supporting an active science mission during this cruise, Tyler helped connect the dots between shipboard IT systems and how they ultimately enable and support scientific research. That context was incredibly valuable—it made the purpose behind the tech we were building feel real and relevant.

Something else that really stuck with me: it takes a variety of disciplines to make scientific research at sea possible. From satellite communications and data acquisition systems to physical deployments like the ARGO floats, the cruise was a reminder that meaningful science only happens when engineers, IT professionals, technicians, and scientists work in harmony. This cruise wasn’t just a training exercise—it was a snapshot of what that collaboration can look like in action.

One of the personal highlights: I earned three cybersecurity certifications during this cruise—two from Fortinet and one awarded by the R/V Sikuliaq team. These credentials not only boosted my technical skill set, but also marked a real milestone in my journey toward becoming a cybersecurity professional in the maritime world.

Massive thanks to the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) for hosting, Fortinet for the technical resources, the MATE program for making this internship possible, the crew of the R/V Sikuliaq, and everyone who made this adventure happen. Special shoutout to Julian Race for leading the charge and creating space for real hands-on learning. I’m leaving this cruise sharper, more inspired, and more confident in my future as a cybersecurity professional in the maritime space.

Until next time—signing off from the Gulf of Alaska.