Week 6:
Monday kicked off the Navy’s inspection visit. They were on site for most of the week, though I didn’t interact with them much directly. I continued to spend the majority of my time helping out the mechs. Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos from this week because my phone’s camera was damaged the week before.
One of the first tasks I helped with was preparing for the inspection of the 12” and 17” viewport windows for the sphere. This meant cleaning out the back end of a shipping container that’s used as a workshop, so the windows would be protected during inspection. After clearing out tools and parts, we scrubbed all surfaces, edges, corners, ceiling, etc to knock loose anything that might fall later. We vacuumed up the debris, blew the area out with compressed air, and finished by covering the counter with cloth pads to create a cushioned base. Work in the clean area paused at that point since the actual window inspections were delayed.
Tuesday was spent continuing window prep. After the team performs a visual inspection to check for obvious defects, the windows are sent out for more detailed inspection using a non-contact coordinate measuring machine, lasers. To safely ship and store the windows when they’re not installed in the sphere, the team uses Pelican and other branded rugged protective cases. While the spare windows were already stored in padded cases, there weren’t enough cases for all the windows being removed, and not all the existing cases matched in size, which made stacking messy. I was tasked with finding enough correctly sized cases to store both the in-service and spare windows. Fortunately, the Alvin team has a stash of empty rugged cases for situations like this. After a lot of digging, I found the right quantities in each size. I then padded each case to securely hold the conical windows. For foam being transferred between cases, I trimmed or added padding as needed. In one instance, I used a bandsaw to make clean, tapered cuts in a large piece of custom foam so it fit perfectly in its new case, was a beautiful fit.
On Wednesday, I shifted focus to inspecting the Alvin “skins.” These are carbon fiber and HDPE panels that protect certain areas of the sub and help with hydrodynamics. There are around 25 skins total, ranging from relatively flat, square panels to highly complex curved shapes. I checked them for damage, but my main responsibility was verifying the dimensions of all features. Over time, these skins can be modified for fit or function, and it was my job to identify any deviations from the official engineering drawings. Working closely with both shore-side and seagoing engineers, I produced redline engineering drawings documenting all changes. This took up most of the rest of the week and carried into the following one.
Thursday marked the end of the Navy’s visit, which sounded like it went smoothly overall. After work, we had the NDSF (National Deep Submergence Facility) department Christmas party, where I got to meet a lot of great people from the ROV Jason and AUV Sentry teams.
Friday wrapped up the week on a high note with the larger WHOI Christmas party in the evening.
Week 7:
Monday was a continuation of skin inspections. The skins were a constant presence throughout the week, and I returned to them each day whenever other tasks did not take priority.
On Tuesday, I was back assisting with the visual inspections of the viewport windows. Removing a window from the sub is a coordinated process that requires three people. Two remove the bolts securing the retaining ring, while a third supports the window using a large suction cup.
Once the retaining ring is off and the window finally releases from its tapered seat (often the most challenging part) the window is carefully carried to the cleaned bench space for inspection. All surfaces are thoroughly wiped down, followed by an even more detailed inspection for any signs of damage. The entire cleaning and inspection process is observed by a second person, who signs off to verify everything was completed correctly.
After the visual inspections, the windows were packed into their shipping cases for further evaluation. The original manufactured dimensions of each window are well known, which allows them to be measured using a Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM). This inspection is non-contact and uses lasers to scan the window’s geometry, creating a highly accurate 3D model. The data is then compared to the original specifications to check for distortion, shrinkage, or other subtle changes that wouldn’t be visible to the eye.
Wednesday involved a trip to the warehouse to pick up a large quantity of syntactic foam buoyancy blocks. Several of the buoyancy foam components on Alvin have damaged sections, and these blocks are sent out along with the larger pieces so repair shops have matching material to work with
Thursday’s highlight was a lunch-and-learn session presented by Danik, one of Alvin’s pilots and the Training Coordinator. The talk, titled “Red Hat vs. Blue Hat Thinking,” focused on how to train for emergencies and high-stress situations aboard a ship. It covered strategies for preparing ahead of time, managing emotions in the moment, and responding effectively when things don’t go as planned.
Then came glorious Friday, the skins were finally conquered. I handed off the last of the redline drawings to the engineering team and wrapped up the week with a relatively relaxing task: printing and binding a large stack of Oxygen Worker Safety Training manuals. These manuals cover procedures for preventing contamination and other issues while inspecting and maintaining oxygen-related life support systems, problems that could otherwise lead to system failure or, more seriously, fire or explosion.
