Category: R/V Thomas G. Thompson Page 4 of 7

Hello,

This week i’m completing troubleshooting tasks to get the some of the software components ready to go back out to sea.

Such as, fixing ethernet ports on one datapod (one of the computers that collects the data for Sentry when its underwater), installing operating systems on another datapod and fixing booting issues with a server.

 

– Syenna 🙂

 

 

Hello,

This is my first week in Woods Hole, at the Deep Submergence Laboratory! We are scheduled to spend the rest of the summer (and my time here) performing maintance tasks on Sentry.

Since i’m on the software team, I will be learning a lot about IT and networking while i’m here.

This week I will be helping with a decktest (the test you perform on the robot to make sure its performing as expected) and installing ubuntu and code repos on their new watchstation. 

I also joined the softball team and go to the beach everyday!

-Syenna 🙂

 

This is my second week on the ship! So far I have …

• Participated in decktests where you prepare the robot to start a dive.
• Participated in post processing of data from the dive.
• Created a MATLAB plot of the servos. 
• Worked with a trigger board.
• Helped fix a RAID.
• Looked at a lot of logs generated from crontab, and helped fix issues from those logs.
• Decorated sentry with electrical tape to look like a kracken.
• Shrunk cups on Jason.
• Saw whales, rattails, spider crabs, dolphins, seals, hydrothermal vent worms and lots of other animals.
• Learned how to navigate by the stars and use a sextant with the 3rd mate (Grace).
• Learned all about batheymetry mapping software from Dave from Mbari. 
• and made a lot of friends.

The work days are pretty long here, usually starting work at 8:00 and working until midnight, my watch shift was (18:00 – 24:00). But the food is buffet style and there are plenty of choices of drinks and snacks. 

Final week with WHOI / JASON team (Friday 6/24 – Friday 7/1)

How the time has flown by!

This was a week of perseverance. JASON struggled with a reoccurring ground fault in the starboard horizontal thruster. Regardless, the pilots were able to continue the mission and complete all tasks on time. The only real difference was when JASON was transiting, it had to fly laterally to make decent time. Adapting is most definitely an essential skill in this position.

Question of the week: What is the longest JASON has remained on the seafloor?

As of now, the longest recorded dive JASON has completed was 7 days. With it’s tether supplying the needed power, it has the capability of staying down even longer, if everything operates smoothly.

Friday (6/24)

Second day of a continuous 4-day dive and things have gone according to plan.

• Both of today’s 4-8 shifts were spent copiloting in the engineering chair, overseeing JASON’s operating systems. Each hour I go through a check list ensuring pressures and temperatures are being maintained. Some of these include:

• Hydraulic Compensator, Main compensator, and the Thruster Compensator Pressures
• Jetway Voltage and Amp Levels
• Level-wind motor, cable drum, and break temperatures
• Winch motor-control room temps and system free from ground faults

• I also was able to log 1.5hrs of JASON piloting

Saturday (6/25)

• 4-8am: co-piloting

• During this shift JASON’s stbd horizontal thruster had to be disabled after grounding

• 10:30 am: JASON was recovered on deck and the thruster was removed, serviced and the inner seal was replaced.
• 2pm: JASON was deployed
• 4-8pm: co-piloting, and was able to log another hour of piloting

Sunday – Monday (6/26 – 6/27)

Both these days were spent co-piloting in the engineering position.

• The same stbd horizontal thruster had to be disabled due to grounding issues.
• The overall goal these days were to transit to specific locations that contain “benchmarks” where we deploy a pressure sensor for 20 minutes to collect data. The sensor is then recovered and then transition to the next area.
• During the collection time, we were able to see a number of different creatures at depths between 1400-1600 meters.

Tuesday (6/28)

This morning JASON was recovered at 4am.

• We completely replaced the grounding thruster with a new one, and then continued to bleed the system for air bubbles throughout the day.
• Due to weather conditions, we were unable to launch again until conditions improved.
• Pre-dive checks were completed throughout the day

Wednesday (6/29)

• 6:30am Pre-dive/launch checks and procedures were completed
• 8am: JASON launched
• 4-8pm: co-piloting

Thursday (6/30)

• 4-8am: co-piloting.

• While relieving the previous shift, we were informed that the same thruster again had grounding issues and was disabled.
• The decision was made to bring JASON back up and inspect the thruster connectors.

• 4-6pm: co-piloting and winch operations/supervision while JASON was being recovered.
• 7pm: JASON back on deck
• Thruster connectors were replaced and resealed.

Friday (7/1)

• 2:30am Predive checks completed
• 4am: JASON launched
• 5-8am: co-piloting

• While overseeing JASON’s systems, I noticed the AC ground fault sensor jumping from 40M ohms to 1.1M ohms, and reported it to the pilot.
• I investigated each sensor and thruster system and determined the same thruster was again having issues and the decision to disable it was made.

• JASON was recovered for the last time at 1pm.

Although the thruster issue kept reoccurring, all of the mission objectives were completed on time. Tomorrow during the ship’s transit back to Newport, the team will be troubleshooting and identifying what caused this reoccurrence. I have a sneaky suspicion it is the motor-control pod connector that the thruster connector attaches to. Either way, this amazing team will work together to resolve the issue and prep the vehicle for the next cruise.

It has been a privilege to work alongside such amazing individuals and am looking forward to what possibilities may come from this experience. I am grateful for every day I was able to spend out here and plan to continue my goal of pursuing a career in this field.

If you would have asked me last year ago, what my dream job would be…the answer was: working on the JASON team for WHOI. And then after applying for internship opportunities through MATE, I was lucky enough to be chosen for this internship!

It is incredible what things are possible if you continue to put the work in and remain open-minded!

This second cruise I was able to accumulate:

• 14 days at sea
• Mobilization Days: 2
• Demobilization Days: 2
• Co-Piloting JASON (engineering chair): 68hrs
• Piloting JASON: 5hrs, plus 30 minutes operating the manipulators to collect lava rocks

•  

  Tip of the week:

  Know your knots! When you are at sea, you have to secure pretty much everything to ensure it will remain in place during transit. And sometimes you will need to help prepare scientific equipment that will need to be able to break away while at the seafloor. Knowing some basic knots will definitely help like the clove hitch, bowline, half-hitch, square knot, and also the double-sheet bend knot (where you join 2 lines).

  

 

Tip of the week:

Know your knots! When you are at sea, you have to secure pretty much everything to ensure it will remain in place during transit. And sometimes you will need to help prepare scientific equipment that will need to be able to break away while at the seafloor. Knowing some basic knots will definitely help like the clove hitch, bowline, half-hitch, square knot, and also the double-sheet bend knot (where you join 2 lines).

 

Week 5 – New cruise, new crew members, and new objectives!

Question of the day!

What is the most active volcano in the Pacific Northwest?

Most people only consider land-based volcanoes like Mount Saint Helen or Mount Hood when thinking of volcanoes, but there is an underwater volcano that claims this title! It is Mount Axial, which has erupted 3 times in the last 25 years.

Mount Axial is located approximately 270 miles off the coast of Newport, OR and is one of the over 450 volcanoes that make up the “Ring of Fire”, which spans over 25,000 miles! This underwater “hot spot” last erupted in 2015 and has slowly been building up with magma and scientists are studying the seafloor changes to track and possibly detect when the next eruption will occur. This is where JASON comes in!

The objective is for JASON to transport and then set up scientific equipment at depths ranging from 1500-1600 meters. This project should only take around two weeks to complete.

Friday (6/17)

This morning the new crew members came aboard and as before, went straight to work!

Main tasks for today included:

• Tether cable termination (in the previous cruise there was some damage to the cable near JASON’s docking head).
• Once the cable was finished, a pull test was completed to ensure the cable termination was s+uccessful. This required rigging the cable up to the ship’s deck and applying approximately 18,000lbs of pressure with JASON’s crane/winch systems.
• The end of the day was spent regreasing the winch system and attaching the grated mesh fencing to the back of the system.

Saturday (6/18)

Much like the first cruise, this day was filled with basic prep tasks:

• Creating a layout of Jason’s basket (extendable/retractable front porch) to include collection boxes, empty crates, the slurp nozzle mount, and scientific equipment mounts. The empty crates were also prepped to hold knives on the sides which could be used for severing ropes, weighted plates that could be removed, and the temperature probe was also added to the basket layout.
• Filled the primary and auxiliary boxes.
• Bled the air out of the lines.
• Completed Pre-Dive procedures to test systems

Sunday (6/19)

Day of Departure!

• The rental manipulator arm was removed after an oil leak was observed during a check and a repaired manip-arm (which was sent out previously and just returned before the cruise) was attached.
• The first three hours was dedicated to strapping down and securing all JASON systems, equipment, and supplies to prepare for vessel launch. Anything that could potentially move needed to be secured.
• Zip-tie party time! JASON’s cables, wires, and connections were zip-tied to ensure total security. This is where we double and triple check to ensure electrical harness system is stable and secure.
• The thrusters, auxiliary and primary boxes, and comp systems were bled for air bubbles and will be bled multiple times over the next couple days. The ship’s movements will help shift any air bubbles to the top of the lines so by deployment day, the air will be completely expelled.
• Today we completed the Pre-Dive vehicle checks twice and will continue to complete until our first launch.
• At 6pm, the vessel left port and the 20hr transit began.

****On the way out I was able to perch up on the fourth level of the ship and spotted 3 orcas! I was hoping to have the opportunity to see a whale at some point and it took my breath away! At least, until I yelled to the crew on the deck so they could also witness this spectacular sight.

Monday (6/20)

Much of today was spent training. The new team leads walked through the Engineer and Navigator duties and responsibilities thoroughly. This JASON crew had 2 new individuals, and this would be their first cruise.

Afternoon tasks included:

• An all-crew fire drill. Everyone met in the main science lab with their float suits and life jackets and went over the steps of how to react to a fire on the ship and possible abandon-ship situations.
• Twp more Pre-Dive checks were completed and successful.
• Continued bleeding of JASON’s systems.

At midnight the first launch of the Nooner cruise was successful.

Tuesday (6/21)

Shift schedules began and I stayed on the 4-8am and pm shifts.

• 4-8am shift: co-piloting in the engineering position (engineering chair).

• I noticed while completing hourly checks that the Jetway Voltage output (which is always set to 105 volts) had jumped up to 113 volts.
• I manually decreased this back to 105 volts but within an hour, it began to increase again up to 108 volts.
• I again decreased the voltage and started checking every 5 minutes to ensure it did not continue to fluctuate.
• At 8am, the next shift started and the voltage issue was communicated and would be monitored.

• At 9:15 am, wake-ups were done to gather everyone on deck because we were recovering JASON.

• The voltage fluctuation continued after my shift and JASON lost power twice. Though it was restarted, the decision was made to bring JASON back on deck to address the issue.
• By 10:30, JASON was on deck.

• The Jetway voltage issue was due to the adjustable potentiometer knob and was repaired.
• JASON was relaunched at 2pm.
• 4-8pm shift: co-piloting as engineer chair.

Wednesday (6/22) (THIS WAS A VERY EXCITING DAY!!!)

• 4-8am shift: co-piloting as engineer chair and then……

I was able to pilot/fly JASON for a full hour. I then got to land on the seafloor at a depth of over 1500 meters and operate the starboard manipulator arm and retrieved a piece of pillow lava about 3.5 x 5 inches big.

• From 4-6pm I continued to co-pilot.
• 6-8pm was spent overseeing the winch and crane system while JASON was being recovered.
• At 8pm, JASON was back on deck and being serviced.

Thursday (6/23)

Early start to the day! We launched JASON at 4am and started a 4-day dive (as long as everything operates accordingly).

• 5-8am: co-piloting
• 4-8pm: co-piloting

The seafloor that JASON flew above is quite the sight! Layers of pillow lava, large crevasses that end in overspilling lava formations, and caved-in structures just amazed me! Absolutely stunning!

 

This week was filled with total amazement! I now have my lava rock sitting next to me as I write this and am considering how to get it back home with me. I am filled with gratitude and so thankful to MATE and WHOI for allowing me to be a part of this.

Tip of the week:

No map is better than a bad map. This may sound a bit silly, but it has been said a few times over the last few days. The navigation system has been going in and out, so when it tends to be “glitchy” and not display all of the data, we fly without it. If you were to operate with inaccurate readings and presume what is being shown is correct, catastrophe could follow! Especially in this environment. At one point, the seafloor went from 1547 meters up to almost 1450 meters! If you were to have insufficient navigation/mapping and set an auto course and depth, a collision would most definitely occur and potentially result in vehicle devastation. The 100-meter incline was abrupt, like climbing the side of a cliff. Though it was an unusual occurrence on this transit, it is a very real example of a possible event which could occur.

Hello!

After travelling to Oregon, and preparing Sentry on the docked ship for Friday/Saturday, on Sunday we left to go explore the Axial volcano in the Juan de Fuca ridge. Here we will be gathering depth and pressure measurements to compare to measurements from a few years ago. This should teach the geophysicists more about how volcanos systems work and possibly give them a hint of when the axial volcano will explode. 

As I am writing, Sentry is in the water and we are tracking her with DVL (a device which uses the doppler effect to get our position from the boat). We are also tracking Sentry with Wifflenav which uses acoustics and shows us where Sentry is in relation to the ground. Wiffle nav is the most reliable way to track Sentry in the water. I am on watch while Sentry is in the water from 7pm-12.

I have also been checking logs and reporting any errors to Sentry’s software guy, reading about serial and udp communications and playing with a homemade trigger board.

-Syenna

 

Week 4 – End of Escanaba Cruise and back to Port (6/10-6/17)

The last week of the Gartman Cruise finished off strong!

Thursday afternoon last week the team was unable to launch JASON due to weather conditions, but by Friday (6/10), it cleared up and we were able to launch at 2pm for a 12hr dive.

Friday – Monday (6/10-6/13)

Each day JASON was successfully launched, completed dive missions, and recovered. The samples obtained during this cruise met the scientific party’s objectives and the last dive was spent exploring a new area that had not yet been mapped.

During this time, no vehicle issues or malfunctions occurred so turn-over time from recovery to relaunch was minimal.

Monday (6/13), after recovering JASON at 9am, the ship began its voyage back to port and JASON crew member’s shifts adjusted back to 8am-5pm.

The afternoon was spent demobilizing JASON and prepping it for the next cruise.

Some tasks included:

• Draining the vehicle’s oils and prepping it for the next cruise.
• The front “basket” or “porch” area that held the sampling equipment was dismantled and cleaned.
• Washed down the vehicle to clean the saltwater off
• Tested hydraulic swingarm lines and found blockage issues, so then removed faulty lines.
• Secured vehicle for transit

Tuesday (6/14)

Today the demobilization/preparation continued with:

• Removing and cleaning all bio-boxes, side-arm boxes, and crates.
• Began cleaning the winch area (de-greasing everything) to prepare for land crew members to replace the wind-level motor
• Tested primary and secondary auxiliary lines, light cables and drained the boxes.
• Replaced cable fluids and bled air from lines.

At 3pm, the ship arrived in Newport and the crew were able to have the rest of the afternoon off to pick up rental cars, clean their bunks, and do laundry.

At 7pm, all the crew members (JASON, SENTRY, Science Party, Thompson Crew) met in town to celebrate together. We found an outdoor venue (covid protocols) and spent the evening reflecting on the trip.

Wednesday (6/15)

Demobilization/Prep continued with tasks such as:

• Removing and replacing the swingarm motors. (The swingarms are located on the starboard and port side of JASON) They house the bio-boxes (sampling boxes) and when triggered, the swing the boxes from underneath JASON to the front section, where the arm manipulators can open them, insert samples, and close them back up to preserve whatever was obtained. Then you trigger the swingarm to rotate back into its “home” position in JASON’s belly.
• Since the oil lines leading to the swingarms were found to have slight blockage, we replaced the lines and had to reroute, label, and secure them.
• Removed the grated fencing from the back of the winch system so the wind-level motor replacement could begin.
• Terminated JASON’s tether cable
• Began cleaning, organizing, and preparing specific parts/equipment for shipping back to WHOI’s office in Massachusetts.

This evening the JASON crew met at the top of Tsunami Hill and had an end-of-cruise barbeque. The team leads picked up a small grill and loads of food! For the last time this trip, the team worked together, and each person took a role in either preparing, cooking, organizing, overseeing, or taste-testing the buffet-style dinner. It was bittersweet to share stories and a lot of laughs with each other!

 Thursday (6/16)

This morning the crew members who are departing spent the morning packing their belongings, cleaning their berths and workspaces, and wrapping up loose ends.

The people who continue onto the next mission (myself included) prepare the hydro lab (JASON’s main work area) for the new crew members. The previous crew is scheduled to depart at noon while the new team arrives shortly after.

The boat’s crane system is being used to transport equipment on/off the ship and the winch wind-level motor is also being replaced, so crew are remaining inside to keep the deck clear unless instructed otherwise.

This first cruise I was able to accumulate:

• 20 days at sea
• Mobilization Days: 3
• Demobilization Days: 3
• Co-Piloting JASON (engineering chair): 57hrs
• Piloting JASON: 1hr

Tip of the week: Cutters/snips and a knife

• Seems like we are always applying and removing zip ties, cables, or ropes so I have found to always have a decent pair of cutters on you! As soon as you think you are done and put them away, you will find something else that needs to be removed. Specifically on this cruise, there was a brand-new pair of diagonal cutters, and everyone wanted them. It is quite satisfying to be the one who obtained them for the day, and the ease of snipping away zip ties without struggle was coveted by all.
• Having a good knife is especially handy for this line of work! When you have to secure and remove lines non-stop, having one that clips to your side is more convenient and saves a lot of time!

Hey guys!

My name is Syenna and I am a junior in ocean engineering and computer science at Virginia Tech.

Ocean exploration is my dream job after reading 20,000 Leagues and then proceeding to obsess over deep sea fish and submarines since. 

Something rememberable about me for you all:

• I drag race submarines 
• I have a tortoise named thortoise

Looking forward to having you guys read along on my ocean robotics journey this summer.

Week 3 (6/4-6/10)

Saturday (6/4)

Today the R/V Thompson went back to shore to drop off a member of the scientific party. The trip back was approximately 14 hours, and as soon as the “drop off” was concluded, we were on our way back to the mission site.  

During this time, the JASON crew had extra time to work on miscellaneous tasks such as:

• Rewiring the Brow pan/tilt Camera. It spontaneously will refuse to pan for one shift, but then be completely operational for the next. This camera is perched at the central top of JASON’s “face”.
• We also replaced the connections from the motor-control pods to the thrusters. The previous dive ended when three thrusters had to be disabled due to grounding issues. JASON was able to still operate with two thrusters down, but when the third became problematic, the dive was aborted, and JASON was recovered.

Sunday – Thursday (6/5-6/9)

Each day JASON was launched and recovered within 20 hours. The launch and recovery procedure takes approximately 30 minutes to have JASON deck-to-water and vice versa. It is the ascent and decent of 3200 meters that usually takes around two hours. While the rise or dive is being initiated, the pilot and navigator stay in the motor-control van, while the engineering member is on Winch Watch.

This week’s dives have all been successful with no issues and all desired samples were obtained.

Thursday evening the weather was too severe for another launch, so it was postponed until

Friday(6/10) afternoon at 2pm.

This week was especially exciting not just because of the success of the dives, but I was able to pilot JASON for a portion of the dive on Tuesday (6/7). I was surprised how stable JASON was when maneuvering around the area. A big difference from the smaller observation ROVs that I have flown in the past. Though it was a shorter dive, it was one of the most exciting moments I have ever experienced!

What extra time I had this week was spent learning different hydraulic fittings. I was even quizzed on them later in the week.

We only have a few days left on this cruise, so the team will try and get in as many dives as possible before we head back to port. I am lucky enough to remain on the vessel and accompany the next cruise, which will go until July 2^nd.

This week’s tip: Napping & Rain Gear

On a cruise such as this with the different shift times, you will most definitely want to become accustomed to napping. Some days that may be the only sleep you get. If recovery and launch times fall in between your shift, then a few naps are what you will get. But after a couple days of this reoccurring, your shift leader will work it out to where you can take a whole 6–7-hour sleep time.

Also, if you are to venture out on a project like this, make sure you bring rain gear. Even if it is not raining, it comes in handy! When recovering JASON, you complete post-launch checks which require you to climb up into the vehicle. And you WILL get soaked! I brought a pair of water-proof bibs, so those have been quite beneficial for this endeavor.

The second week of work has been quite the challenge.

Due to weather conditions, JASON was unable to safely deploy on Saturday (5/28). This hiatus gave extra time to train in the Control Van. That is where the magic happens! There are twelve screens that allow us to see and operate all of the camera angles on the ROV, JASON’s hydraulic pressures and sensors, wench diagnostics, navigation settings, sonar displays, and so much more! To monitor and operate JASON while diving, it takes three people.

The pilot sits in the center, where they have the best views of all the screens. The Navigator sits on the left and is responsible not just for the navigation of JASON, but also the R/V Thompson. They also document the target points and locations as well. Lastly, the Engineer Tech sits in the right chair (this is where I will be). I will be responsible for maintaining, operating, and overseeing all of JASON’s hydraulic equipment such as:

• Thruster Comp Pressures                            
• Main Comp Pressures
• Manipulator sensors
• Camera settings and positioning
• Ground Fault alarms
• Basket (front retractable porch), slurp (suction system for retrieving samples), side sample bio-boxes, niskin sampler triggers, etc.
• I also am able to help operate the manipulator arms as needed by the pilot
• Completing hourly checks of all temperature and pressure levels, alarm systems, and reacting to every alarm that may go off.
• Tether management

I would be lying if I said I was not nervous, but the WHOI team training me are so helpful and insightful and I have no doubts they will support me the whole time.

The rest of today was spent rebuilding the sampler MAJORS from last week. These devices, when triggered, retract, and suck up whatever water or sediment they are inserted into. I ended up replacing the inner seals because they were worn and had a build up of gritty residue on them.

I also lead the Pre-dive check for the vehicle, which consists of over forty-five checks ranging from:

• Upper Vehicle & LARS checks
• J-Boxes & Comps
• Powering Up the vehicle/devices
• Laser & Light testing
• Thruster checks
• Hydraulics
• Manipulators
• Misc. checks like vehicle safety vests, securing inner cables/wires, etc.

Sunday (5/29)

First JASON dive is a go!  

– Completed Pre-Dive checks.                                                  

– Secured and arranged sampling tools inside JASON’s front porch/basket.

– Added front weighted plates and rear weighted bricks that can be removed during the dive.

JASON was successfully launched at 11 am.

For my 4-8pm shift, I sat in the Engineering Tech seat in the Control Van and was witness to the amazing capabilities of JASON. This vehicle is capable of unbelievable things, but it is the crew that makes it possible. The dive was successful with its decent and sample collection at over 3200 meters, but towards the end of our shift, it was noted that JASON’s Thruster Comp levels plummeted from 9 to 0.5, and the decision was made to recover the vehicle.

It takes almost two hours for JASON to get to the surface, but only 40 minutes to get him safely back and secured on the vessel. The team removes all 38 tether floats (which are quite large and heavy). One person ropes off the cable to bring it closer to the side of the vessel, another holds the float ropes to secure it and one last person unlatches the lock. With the crane operator timing the retracting carefully, it only takes minutes to clear the cable and finish the recovery.

It would be too long to list off everything that happens with each of these tasks, but I can tell you that everyone has several responsibilities, and each one is vital to mission success.

Monday (5/30)

4-8am shift:

• JASON investigation revealed possible water seepage into one of the thruster lines. Cleared and bled thruster lines.
• Pre-Dive checks at 6am
• JASON launch at 8am

• Unfortunately after securing all of the tether floats onto JASON’s cable, a thruster alarm triggered and JASON was brought back onto the vessel.
• The day was spent replacing the vertical thrusters and trouble shooting cable issues.
• Though my shift is scheduled 4-8, when JASON is down, everyone is working. We spent the whole day triple checking all of the adjustments and hope tomorrow’s dive is successful.

Tuesday (5/31)

• 12 – 1am – JASON was deployed.
• Both 4-8 shifts were completed in the Engineering Tech position.
• Sample collection was successful and JASON operated without issues.
• Some of the sampling tools did not perform as expected, so it was noted and will be addressed upon recovery/ post-dive.
• 8pm – JASON was recovered and secured on deck.

Wednesday (6/1) – Friday (6/3)

• JASON was launched each day and successfully completed sample collection objectives.
• The normal dive time was approximately 20 hours each dive.
• Trouble shooting and repairs were completed during post and pre-dive times.
• The brow pan/tilt camera suffered ground fault issues and was replaced.
• The thruster control pods for the vertical thrusters were disassembled, cleaned, repaired, and reattached.
• All lines were continuously bled for air and the junction boxes \checked for water leakage.

This week’s lessons:

• Oil pads are lifesavers! (We call them diapers) While replacing thruster lines, camera lines, whatever lines…they are all filled with either royal purple (an oil) or mineral oil. Even with clamps, sometimes the amount of oil lost can be substantial. So plan ahead, layout a “diaper” to collect whatever oil may spill. Clean everything!
• I was able to diagnose a thruster connector leak by making sure to clean the area after replacing the vertical thruster.
• Be meticulous. Ask questions. Double and triple check everything. Have someone else check your work. Good practice!