NOAA Teacher at Sea
Tom Jenkins
Aboard NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow
April 10 – 27, 2018
Mission: Spring Bottom Trawl Survey
Geographic Area: Northeastern U.S. Coast
Date: April 15, 2018
Personal Log
The ladder wells. On the Henry B. Bigelow these sets of steps will take you everywhere that you need to go throughout the day. Life on a ship is interesting in the fact you don’t ever leave while on your mission. This is where you sleep, where you eat, where you work and where you hang out with your friends.
One of the most frequently received questions from my students back home is about life on the ship. Since the past couple of days have been relatively slow in terms of fishing (due to inclement weather), I have decided to highlight the areas of the ship where I spend the most of my time.
My room (likely about the size of your own room at home) happens to be a quad which means I share my room with 3 other people. In addition to two bunk beds, we have a work area (w/a small TV) and a compact bathroom. While it is definitely a bit cramped, the 4 of us are split between the 2 shifts (My shift is 12am-12pm.). The end result is that there are no more than 2 people in the room at any time, so it ends up working out quite well. Notice the handle in the shower. This comes in handy when you are trying to clean up and not wipe out as sometimes the ship can move around quite a bit! You may also notice the emergency billet on the door. This tells each member of the crew where to go and also what to do during emergency situations.
The food on the ship has been amazing. As students in my classroom will attest, I swore I was going to go on a diet during this cruise . While that would be possible, given there are always tons of healthy options, it’s not everyday when there is a BBQ spare rib option for lunch! Additionally, when you are working off and on over the course of your 12 hour shift, eating food is sometimes a good way to pass the time. While I don’t think I have gained weight, I definitely do not think I will lose weight over the final 12 days of the cruise.
The labs where the scientists work are obviously where we spend a large part of our day (or my case, night). The picture to the left is where many of the fish are cataloged and processed. The photo in the top right are where some of the specimens are preserved for later examination in not only NOAA facilities, but also other other research facilities around the world. The area in the bottom is a planning/observation space where the science team goes to gather, plan and share information related to their research mission.
Finally, there is the lounge and fitness area. The lounge is really nice with large recliners which are a wonderful way to relax after a long shift. There is Direct TV which is nice for both sports and news and the ship also has an impressive collection of movies for the crew to enjoy. The fitness area in the bottom right is my favorite space on the ship. While neither expansive nor pretty, it is a great place to go to burn off steam. There is a TV and enough equipment to break a sweat. Although I must admit, its extremely challenging to use an elliptical during a storm with rough seas. Especially with low ceilings! 🙂
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. As always, if you have any questions and/or comments, please feel free to post them below.