Author: James Miller

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James Miller, August 25, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
James Miller
Onboard NOAA Ship Rainier
August 13 – 27, 2005

Mission: Hydrographic Survey
Geographical Area: North Pacific, Alaska
Date: August 25, 2005

Science and Technology Log 

Woke up last night at 2:00am during transit to Seward to catch some of the Northern Lights show.  For a short while they jumped around the sky in the distance but never came directly above like they often do.  If it is clear enough, I’ll try again tonight in Seward.

After racing out to the public phone to make my first call home in two weeks, I spent the day touring Seward. It’s a beautiful fishing town with great views of the glaciers and lots of tourists.  It is much like Homer but better in that the town is in walking distance of the ship.

I went to the Sea Life Center, which has great exhibits of Alaska’s wildlife.  They have huge tanks with birds, sea lions, and harbor seals.  They also had a live video feed of the sea lion rookery about 35 miles outside of Seward.  There were three or four cameras set high up on the rocks overlooking the seals and the adjoining harbor.  While I was there, a pod of transient killer whales entered the harbor at the sea lion rookery.  They would zoom-in on the whales, and you could see them clearly through the video feed hunting and waiting for an unfortunate pup to fall off one of the rocks.  It was an amazing sight and apparently uncommon because many of the center’s employees came to watch. In the half hour I watched, the whales just swam by closely with their heads out of the water, but they didn’t get any meals.

Met with surveyor, Dave Sinson, to get some training on a 3-D surveying software program that he’ll be burning onto a disk for me to show my students.  The software is actually downloadable for free off the internet and comes with sample data.  It will be tremendously useful in demonstrating, visually, the crucial mission of the RAINIER.

Going to hike up Mt. Marathon tomorrow, which leads up to a glacial dome.  On Saturday I’m going with some crewmembers to hike the famous Exit Glacier.  Should be fun! From there it is home to N.Y.

Personal Log 

Being this is my last log, I just want to direct my final personal comments to any potential Teacher-at-Sea candidates.  I have learned much over the last two weeks from this experience.  There are so many real world lessons to be learned working on a NOAA ship such as the RAINIER.  At first I was a bit reluctant about the parallels that could be drawn between the work onboard and my math classes, but it didn’t take long before I saw the endless number of connections that can be integrated into K-12 classrooms.

The crew of the RAINIER is very professional, patient, and friendly.  As I mentioned in an earlier log, I was amazed at the depth and breadth of their knowledge.  I am the fifth TAS member aboard the RAINIER this year.  You would think the crew would get tired of having to train another TAS member only to have them leave in a couple of weeks. At sea they are teachers, and I was grateful by how they would go above and beyond in terms of training me.

With regard to life aboard the ship, you adapt to it quickly.  There’s really something to the whole “getting your sea legs” thing.  Your body does seem to adjust to the constantly moving world of a ship.  Even the other visitor aboard, who had a difficult time with motion sickness early on, did fine after a few days.

I’m thankful for having been afforded this tremendous opportunity.  I’ve grown personally and professionally, and I’m sure my students, in turn, will benefit from it.

TAS Miller out.

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James Miller, August 24, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
James Miller
Onboard NOAA Ship Rainier
August 13 – 27, 2005

Mission: Hydrographic Survey
Geographical Area: North Pacific, Alaska
Date: August 24, 2005

Location: Kodiak Island Coast Guard Station
Weather: Sun and clouds, 60’s
Wind: variable
Seas: calm
Itinerary: Refuel and depart for Seward

Science and Technology Log 

We arrived into the Kodiak Island Coast Guard Station around 8am for refueling.  The seas were calm and the views were great.  The island is much bigger and mountainous than I anticipated, and most of it is uninhabited. The Coast Guard base is immense, and as I understand it, the largest in the country.  Many of the people that live on the island either work on the base, or on one of the many fishing boats.

A brand new NOAA ship the OSCAR DYSON was also tied up at the dock.  The DYSON is a fisheries ship that takes out researchers for up to forty days.  It was an impressive ship to look at; it actually seemed as tall as it was long (~200 ft).  I received a full tour of the DYSON with the captain and XO of the RAINIER.  It’s inevitable that new ships have kinks that need to be worked out by the crew.  The DYSON certainly has its fair share of kinks, and it will probably take several years before they correct them all.

The DYSON was designed to make little to no noise, the theory being they would be able to come up on schools of fish or whales without them scattering.  The hull is rounded to prevent noise, and the propeller, which was designed with declassified submarine technology, is also built for stealth.  However, they were actually having some noise trouble with the propeller (go figure), so they asked the RAINIER to send down some divers to check if something got fouled in it or the shaft.  They didn’t find any problems.

The Coast Guard has a few vehicles that they permit NOAA to use for the time that they’re in port. So I had an opportunity to go with some of the crew to visit the NMFS Wildlife Center.  It had some interesting displays and a large aquarium with all sorts of marine critters.

Personal Log 

It was nice to put my feet on stable ground and walk more than 30 yards today.  I wanted so much to make a phone call home, but unfortunately I didn’t have a calling card and that was the only way the phones on the dock worked. The phones were quite busy though, the crew wastes very little time getting to the phones.  We’ll be in Seward at 7am tomorrow, so one more day.  We’re getting into port a day early, so I’ll have all of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday to see Seward.  The RAINIER doesn’t leave for Prince William Sound, the next leg of the trip, until Monday morning.  I’ll be staying on until Saturday Morning.

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James Miller, August 23, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
James Miller
Onboard NOAA Ship Rainier
August 13 – 27, 2005

Mission: Hydrographic Survey
Geographical Area: North Pacific, Alaska
Date: August 23, 2005

Location: Anchored in Fish Range Bay; north of Mitrofinia Island
Weather: Sunny, low 70’s
Wind: variable
Seas: 1-2 foot swell
Itinerary:  Working in Fish Range Bay area for couple of days

Science and Technology Log 

We are anchored in Chiginigak Bay on the peninsula to basically wait out the weather. Since there is no needed surveying in the area, the plan of the day is to have the less experienced crew and officers train in the launches and small skiffs.  For safety concerns, it’s important to have all crew and officers comfortable with all operations regarding the launches. Everything from learning how to lower the launches using the davits, to maneuvering the launches safely near the shoreline was covered.

I had an opportunity to get instruction on the use of the heavy davits and how to secure the launches for getting underway. The deck hands know their jobs really well and every move is deliberate and geared towards safety.  The RAINIER has been doing this kind of work with these exact launches since 1968, so all the kinks have been worked out of the procedures. Everything has to be done a certain way, and if you do it differently you get an earful of why your way could be dangerous.

During the long transits, I’ve begun working on the lessons required by NOAA.  I’ve come up with the framework for about eight lessons so far that align nicely with the classes I’ll be teaching this upcoming school year. I haven’t found it very difficult to find potential math lessons while onboard.  My lessons thus far cover topics ranging from basic geometry and trigonometry, to calculus.  I’m also working on getting some visuals such as charts to display on my classroom bulletin boards.

Personal Log 

Before departing for Kodiak in afternoon, I tried some more salmon and halibut fishing. No luck on the salmon, but I caught a couple of small halibut in the 3lb range, which I released. I eventually caught a larger fish (~ 8lbs) that I decided to keep.

I’ve talked about the food often in my logs but haven’t mentioned much about the menu.  All the meals are very large, and it’s hard to resist not eating until your completely stuffed.  Anything can be made to order at breakfast, which is served 7 – 7:30 am.  (I usually go for the waffles and eggs). Lunch is served at noon and is basically equivalent to an early dinner with meat or vegetarian dishes, soup, and salad.  Then dinner comes along at 5pm, which is again a full course meal that includes a dessert.  You never seem to go hungry on the ship and I’m sure I gained a few pounds.

We’ll be arriving in Kodiak in the morning for refueling and then departing for Seward later in the afternoon. Each day the captain sends the crew weather updates through e-mail.  It is welcomed news to hear the weather is supposed to be good for the reminder of the trip.

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James Miller, August 22, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
James Miller
Onboard NOAA Ship Rainier
August 13 – 27, 2005

Mission: Hydrographic Survey
Geographical Area: North Pacific, Alaska
Date: August 22, 2005

Location: Anchored in Fish Range Bay; north of Mitrofinia Island
Weather: Sunny, low 70’s
Wind: variable
Seas: 1-2 foot swell
Itinerary:  Working in Fish Range Bay area for couple of days

Science and Technology Log 

Due to the deteriorating weather forecast for the entire area around Mitrofania Island we are packing up and moving out.  There were two things that needed to be done today. First, a tide gauge that the crew installed on Mitrofania earlier in the season had to be removed.  The gauge sent tide information via satellite to a facility on the mainland.  Second, the differential global positioning system (DGPS) that was also installed on the Island earlier in the season had to be removed.  The DGPS was installed to enhance GPS signals when launches are surveying in the area.

I was assigned to help break down the DGPS with two officers and a survey technician. We headed out early in one of the skiffs for the island.  The DGPS consists of a tall antenna mounted on aluminum framing which is supported by lines tied off to stakes in the ground. It also has a watertight box that acts as the main processor for transmitting and receiving.  The processor is powered by six 12v car batteries, which get charged by a series of solar panels. Soon after being dropped off we realized we all forgot to bring bug dope, and soon after that the bugs were swarming.  It’s amazing the motivational power of flying, pestering insects.  We had the station apart and lugged down to the beach in under an hour.  Unfortunately the amount of gear and people exceed the capacity of the skiff, so it required more than one trip.  I drew the short straw along with one of the officers to wait on the island for the skiff to return.  It took about an hour so we did a little treasure hunting along the beach at the high tide line.  Earlier in the season, some of the crew found antique fishing trap floats made of blown glass.  I’m unsure of how old they are, but let’s just say very.  We didn’t find anything as interesting.

Personal Log 

I’m sorry to be leaving Mitrofania Island, partly because it is so beautiful, and also because it marks the end of the work for this leg of the trip.  We got underway for Chiginigak Bay around 4:00pm to basically run from the oncoming storm.  The travel time was about 8 hours.  The seas had already started to build when we left. For the first half of the trip we were traveling with the seas, which made for a smoother ride, however, we had to turn broadside (parallel) to the seas for the second half. When running broadside to the sea the ship pitches from side to side at pretty steep angles. I was typing up some logs in the computer room when all the books and games on the shelf came tumbling down, what a mess.  Anyway, it certainly wasn’t as bad as we anticipated and we arrived in the bay some time around midnight.

Before bed I went up to the bridge to see how the ship was handling in the seas.  One of the newer officers to the ship gave me some more navigation lessons, which was cool.

Sleeping hasn’t been a problem, even with the constant noise of the engines and rolling of the ship. In fact, I sleep deeply and have to drag myself out of bed in the morning. My cabin doesn’t have a porthole so NO light gets in.  It could be the middle of the day and I wouldn’t know it.

Despite all the fun I’m having, I have to say I really miss my home and family.  I give the crew a lot of credit for doing this all year long.  One of the crewmembers said that longing for home is a great feeling, it keeps you going, and that’s why you can’t make the ship your home.  Seems like good advice for newcomers on the ship.

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James Miller, August 21, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
James Miller
Onboard NOAA Ship Rainier
August 13 – 27, 2005

Mission: Hydrographic Survey
Geographical Area: North Pacific, Alaska
Date: August 21, 2005

Location: Anchored Northeast side of Mitrofinia Island
Weather: Sun and clouds, low 60’s
Wind: 5-10kts
Seas: Calm
Itinerary: Working around Mitrofinia Island

Huge halibut
Huge halibut

Science and Technology Log 

To ensure completion of some of the longer lines located further out in the open ocean, the ship spent the day running surveying lines.  The RAINIER is also fitted with sonar transducers and is used when the lines are 8 miles or longer. I was assigned to work in the plotting room with the surveyors cleaning up data that was collected the previous day.

Many processing steps must be performed on the bottom contour data before it makes it onto a chart.  On the ship, the surveyor performs a basic “cleaning” of the data with powerful computers, and very sophisticated software.  The surveyors pull up the bottom contour data on the screen and analyze it for stray signals.  It is very cool software because they look at the bottom in 3-D and from any angle.  At first it doesn’t look like much but a chaotic grouping of lines; however, after the surveyor selects areas and stray signals to cut out, the bottom contour emerges.  The surveyor definitely develops an eye for understanding these 3-D images, but it didn’t take long before I was performing some of the basic cleaning tasks.  I also downloaded some of the images onto a disk to be used in a PowerPoint presentation.

I had an interesting conversation with one of the surveyors whose background is geology. He said that this entire area is a geologists dream.  He described how much of the area was probably form by Mt. Veniaminof volcano, which is visible in the distance and is still active. The thing is immense and stands above all the other surrounding mountains. Additionally, he has also seen clear evidence of structures formed by seismic activity.

Personal Log 

It was actually nice to have a day off from the launches.  I had time to do some laundry and get caught up with some e-mails.  I’m definitely used to the daily routine and I’ve finally learned all the crew and officers names and responsibilities.

We’re scheduled to leave the area in the afternoon tomorrow because of very poor weather forecasts. Winds to 40kts seem to make the captain a bit nervous, so we’re going to run for cover in Chignik Bay on the peninsula about 80 miles or so northeast of the Mitrofania Island. Since it might be my last opportunity to fish, after dinner I went out to the fantail to try for halibut. I was determined and planned to put in some serious time.  After about a half hour I hooked and landed a 25 pounder, and then ten minutes later lost a 15 pounder. Then within another 20 minutes I caught one about the same size as the first.  By this time many of the crew started fishing. I saw LT Evans wrestling with a fish on the other side of the boat. It was apparent he had something big, so I put my rod down to watch as he slowly reeled it up. About 20 minutes later this hulk of a halibut appeared, it was huge. It took two harpoons, and me and another guy to haul the fish up onto the boat. We didn’t have a scale but it was estimated at over 100 pounds.  It also took all night for LT Evans to clean it and bag it.