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The Project Part 1: Part 2: Part 3:
| Daily JournalFebruary 4, 2005:
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Matt, A/B (left) and Tony, 3rd mate (right) in the CTD winch control room
Steve and Bill help Eduardo and Ramses into the water taxi. A ladder is hung over the side of the ship.
Steve and Captain Manion bid farewell to Eduardo and Ramses.
Rob (technician) and Bill (A/B) confer during an array deployment. |
This morning we headed to Guaymas to drop off Eduardo and Ramses, our Mexican scientist friends. After a three-hour delay, they were finally able to board the water taxi and head towards home. Then we headed back for one final day of sampling at our station in the Gulf of California. Needless to say, all this traveling allowed time for the scientists to catch up on some much-needed sleep.
Every time the scientists run instruments over the side of the ship, we get help from an A/B on board. A/B stands for able-bodied seaman, and these people are in charge of completing all the routine maintenance of the ship. As you can imagine, salt water is very corrosive to big metal ships, and keeping the rust at bay is a full-time job. Not only that, but they clean, fix, and do other odd jobs around the ship. There are three A/B’s on board; Steve, Matt, and Bill; to fill each of the three shifts. Shifts on the R/VNew Horizon are split up into three 4-hour shifts, so that one person works from 12 – 4, both in the morning and in the evening. (How much time does this leave between shifts?)
Whenever we put the CTD in the water, an A/B mans the winch and lowers and raises the CTD to the depth the scientists in the lab say. Someone from the bridge (the captain, first mate, or third mate—whichever is on duty) also watches and steers accordingly.
Q: Greg often tells the winch operator to lower the CTD 20 meters above the bottom. If the bottom is 1985 meters, at what depth is the CTD? Suppose after that he wanted to bring the CTD up to the surface but take samples from 5 depths, spaced evenly. How far up would he ask to bring the CTD up each time?
