NOAA Teacher at Sea
Laura Grimm
Aboard NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson
July 4 – July 22, 2022
Mission: Hydrographic Survey of Lake Erie
Geographic Area of Cruise: Lake Erie
Date: July 17, 2022
Weather Data from the Bridge
Latitude: 42ᵒ 13.30 N
Longitude: 080ᵒ 13.60 W
Sky Conditions: Broken
Visibility: 10+ miles
Wind Speed: 9.4 knots
Wind Direction: 089ᵒ E
Lake Temperature: 23.2 ᵒC
Wave Height: 1 ft.
Dry Bulb: 23.6 ᵒC
Wet Bulb: 20.9 ᵒC
Calculated Relative Humidity:76 %
Science and Technology Log
NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson is one BIG ship. Here is a list of some of its characteristics:
- Length overall: 208 ft
- Beam: 45 ft
- Draft: 14 ft below the keel (15.6 ft below the transducer pod)
- Registered gross tonnage/Displacement: 1767 tons
- Cruising speed: 11 kts
- Survey Speed: 10 kts
- Cruising range: 19,200 NM, 45 days
- Authorized Officers and Crew: 34
- Scientific Berths: 4 (They can take up to 4 visiting scientists.)
Follow this link for more information about NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson.
One thing not on this list is that currently, TJ is carrying four other boats + 6 life rafts aboard. Of the boats aboard, two are the survey launches (mentioned in a previous blog), one is a Fast Rescue Boat (FRB) that is very fast and maneuverable (more about the FRBs in a future post), and the last is a work boat affectionately called 1717. It is an inflatable boat with a ridged hull. It is frequently used to do preservation work on the hull and inspect areas for future work.
Today, the crew used the 1717 to do a crew transfer to Erie, PA. A crane (not a davit) is used to move this boat on and off the ship.
Step #1 They get the crane in position. 
Step #2 Attach the crane to the boat harness. 
Step #3 The crane lifts the boat off the cradle. 
Step #4 The Chief Boatswain (CB Pooser in the blue hard hat) orders the crane to lift the boat higher. 
Step #5 Swing 1717 over the fantail of TJ. 
Step #6 Continue to swing the boat to TJ’s starboard side. 
Step #7 Get the boat in the position to lower it into the water. 
Keep swing! 
Step #8 Lower . . . Lower. Be careful! 
Step #9 Place the boat in the water. 
Step #10 Once it is secured with lines to TJ, the crew can go aboard.
Able Bodied Seaman (AB) Thompson runs the crane and Chief Boatswain (CB) Pooser supervises getting the 1717 work boat in and out of the water.
There are many different types of ships. People have been using ships for a long time!
According to Britannica Kids,
“People use different types of ships for many different purposes. Some of the main types are trade ships, warships, industrial ships, and pleasure vessels, or cruise ships.
“Trade ships carry different types of cargo. Container ships carry cargo packaged in large containers. General cargo ships carry lumber, farm products, and other goods that are hard to ship in containers. Bulk ships carry coal, grains, and other loose cargo. Tankers carry oil and other liquid cargo. Refrigerated ships, or reefers, carry meat, fish, and other products that need to stay cold.
“Navies use several different kinds of warships. The largest are aircraft carriers. A carrier has a large flat surface called a flight deck that airplanes can use for takeoffs and landings. Other types of military ships include cruisers, destroyers, and submarines.
“Industrial ships are sometimes called factory ships. Some industrial ships are oil rigs. They have big machinery that pumps oil from the ocean floor. Another type of factory ship processes fish that the crew catches at sea.
“Before airplanes made long-distance travel quick and easy, people traveled in ships called ocean liners. Ocean liners had dining rooms and cabins where guests could sleep. Today this type of passenger ship is called a cruise ship. Cruise ships carry tourists and vacationers to seaside locations around the world. Cruise ships often have swimming pools, shopping malls, and live entertainment.”
History of Ships
From Britannica Kids:
“In early times people moved ships with oars. Many early ships also used the wind to move across the seas. These ships had sails—large, raised pieces of cloth that caught the wind. Ancient Egyptian warships had at least 40 oars and a single sail. The powerful longships of the Vikings also had oars and one sail.
“By the 1400s European ships had several sails. Sailing ships known as galleons carried large guns along their sides for making war. In the 1800s long, slim ships called clippers also had several sails. Clippers traveled faster than any ship before.
“Ships were made mainly of wood until the middle of the 1800s. At that time iron ships began to replace wooden ones. Steam-powered engines also began to replace sails.
Today most ships are made of steel or other modern materials. They have internal-combustion engines that run on diesel fuel or gas. Some modern ships run on nuclear power.”
Human-Interest Poll of the Crew
Personal Log – Christmas in July!
The U.S. Postal Service does not have an official moto. If it did, it could be, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” What about Santa Claus? He seems to deliver packages all over the world no matter the distance or weather!
Today, we had a delivery from a type of “Santa”. At least that is what it felt like! The U.S. Coast Guard delivered a package directly to our ship this afternoon.
Our engineering department is very happy. Maybe now they have what they need to fix one of our davits. If the davits can be fixed, we will be able to deploy a launch (small survey boat) to assist with the survey mission.
It was fun to have some visitors, even if they just stayed for a few minutes.
For the Little Dawgs . . .
Q: Where is Dewey? Hint: He is sitting is a very important chair. But which chair?
Dewey is sitting in the chair that AB Thompson sits in to control the crane that lifts the boat in and out of the water.
Did you know . . .
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake (by surface area) of the five Great Lakes? It is the eleventh-largest lake in the whole world!
As I sign off, I will leave you with this thought: There are so many examples of career opportunities on Thomas Jefferson. Do you like water? Ships? Machines? Technology? Cooking? If you answered, “Yes” to any of these questions, a career with NOAA may be for you! Think about it!