Hydrographic survey – Page 9 – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

June 14, 2016August 21, 2021

Spencer Cody: Killing the Dots, June 13, 2016

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Spencer Cody

Onboard the NOAA Ship Fairweather

May 29 – June 17, 2016

Mission: Hydrographic Survey

Geographical Area of the Cruise: along the coast of Alaska

Date: June 13, 2016

Weather Data from the Bridge:

Observational Data:

Latitude: 55˚ 10.643′ N
Longitude: 132˚ 54.305′ W
Air Temp: 19˚C (66˚F)
Water Temp: 14˚C (58˚F)
Ocean Depth: 33 m (109 ft.)
Relative Humidity: 50%
Wind Speed: 6 kts (7 mph)
Barometer: 1,014 hPa (1,014 mbar)

Science and Technology Log:

104_0366 (2) — “Killing dots” or manually flagging data points that are likely not accurately modeling hydrographic data is only the beginning of a very lengthy process of refining hydrographic data for new high-quality nautical charts. Credit Hannah Marshburn for the photo.

In the last post, I talked about how we collect the hydrographic data. The process of hydrographic data collection can be a challenge in of itself with all of the issues that can come up during the process. But, what happens to this data once it is brought back to the Fairweather? In many ways this is where the bulk of the work begins in hydrography. As each boat files back to the ship, the data they bring back is downloaded onto our servers here on the ship to begin processing. Just the process of downloading and transferring the information can be time consuming since some data files can be gigabytes worth of data. This is why the Fairweather has servers with terabytes worth of storage to have the capacity to store and process large data files. Once the data is downloaded, it is manually cleaned up. A survey technician looks at small slices of hydrographic data and tries to determine what is the actual surface of the bottom and what is noise from the multibeam echosounder. Leaving too many false data points in the slice of hydrographic data may cause the computer software to adjust the surface topography to reach up or below to something that in reality does not exist. The first phase of this is focused on just cleaning the data enough to prevent the hydrographic software from recognizing false topographies. Even though the data that does not likely represent accurate hydrographic points are flagged and temporarily eliminated from the topographic calculation, the flagged data points are retained throughout the process to allow for one to go back and see what was flagged versus what was retained. It is important to retain this flagged data through this process in case data that was thought to be noise from the echosounder really did represent a surface feature on the bottom.

104_0365 (2) — Hydrographic Assistant Survey Technician Sam Candio is using a three dimensional viewer to clean the hydrographic data collected from that day’s launches.

Once this process is complete, the day’s section is added to a master file and map of the target survey area. This needs to happen on a nightly basis since survey launches may need to be dispatched to an area that was missed or one in which the data is not sufficient to produce quality hydrographic images. Each launch steadily fills in the patchwork of survey data; so, accounting for data, quality, and location are vitally important. Losing track of data or poor quality data may require another launch to cover the same area. After the survey area is filled in, refinement of the new map takes place. This is where the crude cleanup transitions into a fine-tuned and detailed analysis of the data to yield smooth and accurate contours for the area mapped. Data analysis and processing are the parts of hydrographic work that go unnoticed. Since this work involves many hours using cutting-edge technology and software, it can be easy to underappreciate the amount of work survey technicians go through to progress the data through all of these steps to get to a quality product.

Personal Log:

20160513_113539 (2) — Dillion and family in Hoonah, Alaska.

Dear Mr. Cody,

Today we docked in Hoonah, Alaska. We had a whale show right under our balcony! They are incredible to watch. There is so much to see for wildlife in Alaska. (Dillion is one of my science students who went on an Alaska cruise with his family in May and will be corresponding with me about his experiences as I blog about my experiences on the Fairweather.)

Dear Dillion,

104_0408 (2) — A friendly humpback is keeping our survey launch company as we map our assigned polygon.

I know what you mean about the wildlife. I am seeing wildlife all over the place too. On our transit to our survey site from Juneau, I saw numerous marine mammals: hump back whales, dolphins, and killer whales. On our last survey launch, we had two humpbacks stay within site of the boat the entire morning. They are remarkable creatures. Whenever we locate a marine mammal, we fill out a marine mammal reporting form allowing various interests to use these reports to estimate the population size and range of these animals. The waters off the Alaskan coast are full of marine life for a reason. It is a major upwelling area where nutrients from the ocean bottom are being forced up into the photic zone where organisms such as phytoplankton can use both the nutrients and sunlight to grow. This provides a large amount of feed for organisms all the way up the food chain. This area is also known for its kelp forests. Yes, if you were on the sea bottom in these areas dominated by kelp, it would look like a forest! Kelp are a very long- and fast-growing brown algae that provide food and habitat for many other marine organisms.

104_0437 (2) — Kelp forests form on relatively shallow rocky points and ledges allowing for the holdfasts to form and latch onto the bottom giving the resulting algae growth the opportunity to toward the surface to collect large amounts of sunlight for photosynthesis.

Did You Know?

The RESON 7125sv multibeam echosounders found onboard the survey launches use a 200 kHz or 400 kHz sound frequency. This means the sound waves used fully cycle 200,000 or 400,000 times per second. Some humans can hear sounds with pitches as high as 19 kHz while some bat and dolphin species can hear between 100 and 150 kHz. No animal is known to have the capability to audibly hear any of the sound waves produced by the multibeam onboard our survey boats. Animals that use echolocation tend to have much higher hearing ranges since they are using the same premise behind acoustic mapping in hydrography but to detect food and habitat.

Can You Guess What This Is?

A. a marker buoy B. a water purification system C. an electric bilge pump D. a CTD sensor

The answer will be provided in the next post!

(The answer to the question in the last post was A. a search and rescue transponder. If a launch boat were to become disabled with no means of communication or if the boat needs to be abandoned, activating a search and rescue transponder may be the only available option left for help to find someone missing. When the string is pulled and the cap is twisted, a signal for help is sent out in the form of 12 intense radar screen blips greatly increasing the odds for search and rescue to find someone in a timely manner. The radar blips become arcs as a radar gets closer to the transponder until the radar source gets within a nautical mile in which the arcs become full circles showing rescue crews that the transponder is nearby.)

June 10, 2016August 21, 2021

Spencer Cody: Filling in the Asterisk, June 10, 2016

NOAA Teahcer at Sea

Spencer Cody

Onboard the NOAA Ship Fairweather

May 29 – June 17, 2016

Mission: Hydrographic Survey

Geographical Area of the Cruise: along the coast of Alaska

Date: June 10, 2016

Weather Data from the Bridge:

Observational Data:

Latitude: 55˚ 10.643′ N

Longitude: 132˚ 54.305′ W

Air Temp: 19˚C (66˚F)

Water Temp: 12˚C (54˚F)

Ocean Depth: 33 m (109 ft.)

Relative Humidity: 60%

Wind Speed: 4 kts (5 mph)

Barometer: 1,014 hPa (1,014 mbar)

Science and Technology Log:

102_0137 — Goodbye Juneau, we are off to our survey site just west of Prince of Wales Island in the southernmost part of Southeast Alaska.

On Sunday with everyone who needed to be here for the next leg of the hydrographic survey onboard, we set off for the survey site. Transiting through Alaskan fjords and associated mountains is a real treat to say the least. The abundance of wildlife and picturesque views of glaciers, mountains, and forests lend one easily susceptible to camera fatigue. Every vista resembles a painting or photograph of significance. The views are stunning and the wildlife breathtaking. After a day’s worth of transiting, we arrived in our survey area just west of Prince of Wales Island on the southern tip of Southeast Alaska and its Alexander Archipelago. The chain of islands that makes up the Alexander Archipelago represent the upper reaches of the submerged coastal range of mountains along the Pacific. A mere 20,000 years ago, the sea level was roughly 120 meters (400 ft.) lower than what it is today as our planet was in the grips of the last major ice age. To put that into perspective, the Fairweather is currently anchored in a calm bay with about 30 meters (100 ft.) of water. During the recent ice age, this entire ship would be beached hanging precariously next to ledges dropping 100 meters (300 ft.) to the ocean below. The mountains and steep island banks continue down to the sea floor providing for wildly changing topography below sea level. This type of environment is perfectly geared toward Fairweather’s capabilities.

While mapping survey areas that include shallow near-shore water, the Fairweather anchors in a calm bay maximizing ideal conditions for launching and retrieving boats whenever possible. Survey launches are dispatched out to their assigned polygons with the survey area while a skiff boat carries out near-shore marking of rocks and obstructions. Each of the four survey launches have a RESON 7125sv multibeam echosounder to collect data for mapping. Survey launches are sent out for much of the day and return with hydrographic data concerning their assigned area. All of the data is compiled into one file after extensive processing and quality control.

Personal Log:

20160512_154154 (2) — Dillion enjoying Sitka, Alaska. Credit Suzi Vail for the photo.

Dear Mr. Cody,

We arrived in Sitka, Alaska, with bald eagles flying overhead. The islands with the tall mountains are amazing. Some even have snow on them still. They have a lot of trees and wildlife. The mountains are all over the island and come right down to the ocean with a very tall dormant volcano across the sound from Sitka. (Dillion is one of my science students who went on an Alaska cruise with his family in May and will be corresponding with me about his experiences as I blog about my experiences on the Fairweather.)

102_0213 (2) — Assisting Ensign Joseph Brinkley in lowering a Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) sensor. The CTD records temperature, salinity, and density. All of these factors affect the speed of sound and must be factored into our data collection. Credit Todd Walsh for the photo.

Dear Dillion,

We are not that far to the southeast of you in our survey area. That is part of the challenge of mapping this area and ensuring that nautical maps are accurate and up to date. Those tall mountains that you see so close to your ship really do continue down into the ocean in many places. I was able to go out on one of our survey launches to see how hydrographic data is collected using the Fairweather’s fleet of survey launch boats. It started with a mission and safety briefing before the launches were turned loose. Our operations officer went over the assigned polygon mapping areas with us. We were then reminded of some of the hazards that a small boat needs to be cognizant of such as the log debris in the water and the potential of grounding a boat on rocks. Both our commanding officer and executive officer repeatedly stressed to us the importance of being careful and alert and always defaulting to safety versus more data collection. Once the briefing was over, our boats were launched one at a time to our assigned survey polygons. We were to map the area just north of the McFarland Islands. Parts of the this area had known hazards hidden just below sea level. Complicating matters was the fact that many of these hazards marked on existing maps were instances in which someone hit a rock but did not know the exact location or a rock was potentially spotted at low tide. It was our job to carefully map the area without damaging the boat or putting any of the passengers in harm’s way.

102_0185 (2) — Keeping the boat on course as we collect a swath of hydrographic data in deep water devoid of rocks, kelp, or logs. Credit Todd Walsh for the photo.

Mapping an assigned area can be anywhere between the two extremes of incredibly uneventful to nimbly avoiding obstacles while filling in the map. Since the multibeam echosounder requires sound waves to travel farther through a deeper column of water, the swath covered by the beam is wider and takes longer to collect. In such stretches of water, the boat is crawling forward to get the desired amount of pings from the bottom needed to produce quality hydrographic data. When the boat is in shallow water, the reverse is true. The beam is very narrow, and the boat is able to move at a relatively fast pace. This makes mapping shallow regions challenging. The person navigating the boat must work with a narrower beam at faster speeds while avoiding the very hazards we were sent to map. Additionally, in this area kelp forests are very common. The long brown algae forms a tangled mass that can easily bind up a boat propeller. Add massive floating logs from all the timber on these islands, and now you have a situation in which a trained driver needs to have all their wits about them.

102_0253 (2) — Narrowing the data collection to a range of depths in which the entire swath can be recorded minimizes the cleanup of false data points while not losing any of the pertinent hydrographic data. Credit Amber Batts for the photo.

While the person navigating the boat tries to orderly fill in the polygon with a swath of hydrographic data, a person must be stationed at a work station inside the cabin modifying the data stream from the beam to help keep out noise from the data making the survey data as clean as possible. Sloppy data can result in more time in cleanup during the night processing of data once the boats return to the Fairweather. In addition, to control what is recorded, the station also determines when the multibeam echosounder is on or off. It takes some practice to try to keep multiple tasks on multiple screens functioning within an acceptable range. The topography in the map area also adds to the challenge since drop offs are commonplace. There were many times were the difference from one end of the beam to the other end was 100 meters or more (300 feet or more). It was like trying to survey the cliff and bottom of the canyon including the wall of the canyon in one swipe. Sometimes the ridges are so steep underwater that shadows are produced in the data were the sound waves were blocked by the ridge and our relative angle to it preventing a complete swath. This requires us to move over the ridge on the other side to map the gap.

102_0200 (2) — Slowly but surely, we are painting over the existing map with a detailed color-coating of contours of depth.

There is something inherently exciting about being the first to see topography in such detail. Much of this area was last surveyed by lead line and other less advanced means of surveying than our current capabilities. In many respects they were accurate, but as we filled in our data over the existing maps, one could not help but to feel like an explorer or as much as one can feel like an explorer in this modern age. We were witnessing in our little assigned piece of the ocean something never seen before: land beneath the water in striking detail. The rocks and navigational hazards no longer resembled mysteriously vague asterisks on a navigation map to be simply avoided. We were replacing the fear of the unknown with the known by using science to peer into those asterisks on the map and paint them in a vivid array of well-defined contours later to be refined and made ready for the rest of the world to utilize and appreciate through upgraded navigation charts. Once our assigned polygon was filled to the best of our abilities, we moved on to the next and so on until it was time to head back to the Fairweather completing another successful day of data collection.

Did You Know?

Kelp is a long brown algae that forms underwater forests that serve as an important habitat for many marine organisms. Kelp is one of the fastest growing organisms on the planet. Some species can grow a half a meter (1.5 ft.) per day reaching lengths of 80 m (260 ft.) long.

Can You Guess What This Is?

A. search and rescue transponder B. an emergency flashlight C. a marker buoy D. a flare gun

The answer will be provided in the next post!

(The answer to the question in the last post was B. an oil filter. Getting an oil filter change for the Fairweather is a little different than for your car though the premise is similar. The four long filters used for each of the two diesel engines onboard are many times larger to accommodate the oil volume and are more durable to handle circulating oil 24 hours a day.)

June 8, 2016August 21, 2021

Spencer Cody: No Survey, No Problem, June 8, 2016

Spencer Cody

Onboard the NOAA Ship Fairweather

May 29 – June 17, 2016

Mission: Hydrographic Survey

Geographical Area of the Cruise: along the coast of Alaska

Date: June 8, 2016

Weather Data from the Bridge:

Observational Data:

Latitude: 55˚ 10.643′ N

Longitude: 132˚ 54.305′ W

Air Temp: 17˚C (63˚F)

Water Temp: 11˚C (52˚F)

Ocean Depth: 33 m (109 ft.)

Relative Humidity: 52%

Wind Speed: 10 kts (12 mph)

Barometer: 1,014 hPa (1,014 mbar)

Science and Technology Log:

155_3353 (2) — Refrigeration, boiler, and compressed air are just three of the many systems that are monitored and maintained from engineering.

With much of the survey team either on leave or not yet here for the next leg of the hydrographic survey, it can be easy to be lulled into the sense that not much is going on onboard the Fairweather while she is in port, but nothing could be further from the truth. Actually, having the ship docked is an important time for departments to prepare for the next mission or carry out repairs and maintenance that would be more difficult to perform or would cause delays during an active survey mission. On that note while the Fairweather was docked was a perfect time to see the largely unseen and unappreciated: engineering. Engineering is loud and potentially hazardous even when the engines are not running, much less, when we are underway. One of the key purposes of engineering is to monitor systems on the ship to make sure many of the comforts and conveniences that we take for granted seemingly just happen. Sensors constantly monitor temperature, pressure, and other pertinent information alerting the crew when a component drifts outside of its normal range or is not functioning properly. Catching an issue before it progresses into something that needs to be repaired is a constant goal. Monitoring in engineering includes a wide array of systems that are vital to ship operations, not just propulsion. Sanitation, heating, refrigeration, ventilation, fuel, and electric power are also monitored and regulated from engineering. Just imagine spending the day without any of these systems while the loss of all of them would send us reeling to earlier seafaring days when humanity was entirely at the mercy of nature’s whim.

155_3424 (2) — Tommy Meissner, an oiler in the engineering department, is giving me a tour and overview of engineering. The day after this photo was taken, he took and passed his junior engineer certification exam. Congratulations Tommy!

Two diesel generators can produce enough power to power a small town. Water systems pressurize and regulate water temperatures for use throughout the ship while filtration systems clean used water before it is released according to environmental regulations. Meanwhile, enough salt water can be converted to freshwater to meet the needs of the ship and crew. The method of freshwater production ingeniously uses scientific principles from gas laws to our advantage by boiling off freshwater from salt water under reduced air pressures increasing freshwater production while minimizing energy consumption. Steam is generated to heat the water system and provide heat for radiators throughout the ship, and of course the two large diesel engines that are used to provide propulsion for the ship are also located in engineering.

150_2981 (2) — Chief Engineer Bill Ness using the ship’s crane to unload a crate of materials and equipment onto the pier.

How does one get to work in engineering onboard a ship like the Fairweather? There are several different positions in the ship’s engineering department. An oiler is largely responsible for maintenance, repair, and fabrication and must pass a qualifying test for this designation focusing on boilers, diesel technology, electrical, and some refrigeration. Once the qualifying test is passed, the Coast Guard issues a Merchant Mariner credential. Only then can one apply for that position. Junior engineers must pass a test demonstrating that they have the working knowledge of the systems involved with engineering especially in areas of auxiliary systems and repair. Junior engineers generally need less supervision for various operations than oilers and have a greater scope in responsibility that may also include small boat systems and repair. The scale of responsibility does not stop there, but continues through Third, Second, and First Engineers. Each involving a qualifying test and having more requirements involving education and experience. Finally, the Chief Engineer heads the department. This too requires a qualifying test and certain experience requirements. There are two different ways in which one can progress through these different levels of responsibility. They can attain the formal education or they can document the job-related experience. Usually both play a role in where someone is ultimately positioned determining their role onboard the ship as part of an engineering team.

Personal Log:

100_0019 (2) — Deck crew Terry Ostermyer (lower, right) with Jason Gosine (middle) and I (left) degreasing cables for the hydraulic boat launching system. It really needs a before and after photo to be appreciated. Credit Randy Scott for the photo.

Dear Mr. Cody,

The crew is very friendly. They take care of everything that we need on our trip to Alaska. They also take care of the ship. They must have to do a lot of work to keep such a large ship going and take care of this many people on vacation at sea. (Dillion is one of my science students who went on an Alaska cruise with his family in May and will be corresponding with me about his experiences as I blog about my experiences on the Fairweather.)

Dear Dillion,

The Fairweather also has a crew that takes care of the ship and its very own fleet of boats. While in port, I worked with our deck department to get a very small sense of what they do on a day-to-day basis to keep the ship running. The pitfall of having a lot of equipment and having the capability of doing many multifaceted missions is that all of this equipment needs to be maintained, cleaned, repaired, and operated. This includes maintaining both the ship’s exterior and interior, deployment and retrieval of boats, buoys, arrays, and various other sampling and sensory systems. When not assisting with carrying out a component of a mission such as launching a boat, the deck crew is often performing some sort of maintenance, standing watch, mooring and anchoring the ship, unloading and loading supplies, and stowing materials. Depending on years of experience and whether they have a Merchant Mariner’s certification or not will determine the level of responsibility. On a survey ship, the deck department specializes in boat launches and maintenance; so, the levels of responsibility reflect that central area of concern. Beginning experience starts with general vessel assistant and ordinary seaman progressing through able seaman with Merchant Mariner’s certification and seaman surveyor or deck utility man to boatswain group leader to chief boatswain. The chief boatswain is in charge of training and supervision regarding all of the areas pertinent to the deck department. This is a stark contrast compared to the deck department on the Pisces that specialized in techniques associated with fish surveys.

100_0033 (2) — Cannot paint because of a rain delay? No problem. There is always something else to do like heads and halls. Deck crewmember Denek Salich is in the background. Credit Randy Scott for the photo.

When I was with the Fairweather’s deck crew, they were working on taking an old coating of grease off cables and applying a new coating back on. The cables are used to raise and lower the 28’ long hydrographic survey launches. This will be a system that will be in use throughout the next leg; so, now is a great time to clean and replace that grease! After using rags and degreasing agents to strip the old grease off, a new coating was added to the cables. The crew is always conscientious about using chemicals that are friendly to the environment and proper containment strategies to prevent runoff from the deck directly into the ocean. Deck crew need to be very flexible with the weather. Since the weather was not cooperating for painting, we moved indoors and did “heads and halls,” sweeping and mopping hallways and stairs and cleaning bathrooms. The Fairweather resembles an ant colony in its construction; so, heads and halls can be a lot of work even for a whole team of people, but as I am reminded by one of our deck crew, “Teamwork will make the dream work.” It is, indeed, teamwork that makes Fairweather’s missions, not only possible, but successful.

Did You Know?

The boiler system produces steam that provides a heat source for the water system and the heating system.

Can You Guess What This Is?

A. an ocean desalinization unit B. an oil filter C. a fuel tank D. a sewage treatment unit

The answer will be provided in the next post!

(The answer to the question in the last post was C. an incinerator. You may not think of it as being a major problem, but one person can produce a lot of trash over the course of a week or weeks. Imagine this same problem times 50! Since the Fairweather must utilize its storage and equipment spaces efficiently, burnable wastes must be incinerated; otherwise, we would be stacking the trash to the ceiling in every available space.)

June 7, 2016August 21, 2021

Lynn Kurth: Solstice at Sea!, June 8, 2016

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Lynn M. Kurth

Assigned to: NOAA Ship Rainier

June 20th-July 1st, 2016

Personal Log:

My name is Lynn Kurth and I teach at Prairie River Middle School located in Merrill, WI. I am honored to have the opportunity to work aboard NOAA Ship Rainier as a Teacher at Sea during the summer solstice. Over the past twenty years of my teaching career I have had some amazing experiences, such as scuba diving in beautiful coral reefs, working aboard research vessels on Lake Superior and the Atlantic, and whitewater canoeing rivers in the United States and abroad. The one thing that all of these experiences have in common is water and because of this I have come to appreciate what a truly important natural resource water is.

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Me aboard the Oregon II for a Long Line Shark and Red Snapper Survey in 2014

Because my students are the next generation of caretakers of this important natural resource, I recognize how vital it is to bring water issues into the classroom: Most recently I worked with my 7^th and 8^th grade middle school students to improve local water quality by installing a school rain garden. During the project students learned about the importance of diverting rain water out of the storm sewer when possible and how to do it in an effective and attractive way. Other projects included the restoration of our riverbank last year and using a Hydrolab to monitor the water quality of the Prairie River, which runs adjacent to our school. So, sailing aboard NOAA Ship Rainier to learn more about hydrography (the science of surveying and charting bodies of water) seems like a most natural and logical way to move forward.

IMG_0867 (1)

Eighth grade science students jumping for joy during the fall testing of the Prairie River with the Hydrolab. Notice the fellow in waders holding the Hydrolab with great care!

I will be sailing aboard NOAA Ship Rainier from Homer, Alaska, on June 20^th. Until then I have a school year to wrap up, a new puppy to train, a project with Wisconsin Sea Grant to work on and packing to get done. There are days I’m a bit nervous about getting everything done but when NOAA Ship Rainier casts off from the pier in Homer I will be 100 percent focused on gathering the knowledge and skills that will enhance my role as an educator of students who are part of the next generation charged with the stewardship of this planet.

Newest addition to our family: Paavo a Finnish Lapphund Photo Credit: Lynn Drumm, Yutori Finnish Lapphunds

June 5, 2016August 21, 2021

Spencer Cody: Fairweather in Transition – June 5, 2016

Spencer Cody

Onboard the NOAA Ship Fairweather

May 29 – June 17, 2016

Mission: Hydrographic Survey

Geographical Area of the Cruise: along the coast of Alaska

Date: June 5, 2016

Weather Data from the Bridge:

Observational Data:

Latitude: 58˚ 17.882′ N

Longitude: 134˚ 24.759′ W

Air Temp: 15˚C (59˚F)

Water Temp: 8.9˚C (48˚F)

Ocean Depth: 9.7 m (31.8 ft. at low tide)

Relative Humidity: 67%

Wind Speed: 5.2 kts (6 mph)

Barometer: 1,025 hPa (1,025 mbar)

Science and Technology Log:

Now that I have been on the Fairweather for a few days I have had the opportunity to see much of the ship and learn about how it operates. If ever there were an embodiment of the phrase newer is not always better, it might be the Fairweather. Even though the Fairweather is approaching 50 years old, one cannot help but to attain an appreciation for the quality of her original construction and the ingenuity behind her design. Rooms, compartments, and decks throughout the ship are designed to be watertight and to maximize fire containment. Multiple compartments can be flooded without putting the entire ship in danger. The ship is also designed to withstand sea ice due to its densely ribbed construction and extra think hull. This makes the hull remarkably strong allowing the ship to cut through ice and withstand the additional pressure of ice-covered seas.

155_3414 (2) — One of the two massive Detroit electro-motive diesel engines that propel the ship. Credit Tommy Meissner for the photo.

The Fairweather is built on redundancy for safety and practicality. If one system gives out, another can be relied upon to at least allow the ship to get back to port or depending on the system continue the mission. There are redundant systems throughout the ship involving everything from communications to essentials for sustaining the crew to navigation. There are even redundant servers in case one set of survey data is compromised or physically damaged the other server may remain untouched. Storage space is a premium on a ship that needs to be self-sufficient for weeks at a time to address foreseeable and unforeseeable events. Every free space has a purpose for storing extra equipment, tools, parts, and materials. Utility and efficiency are running themes throughout the ship.

Personal Log:

152_3311 (2) — The incoming and outgoing commanding officers read off their orders to signify the official change of command of the ship.

Dear Mr. Cody,

Onboard our ship the captain is in charge of the entire crew and ship. People follow his orders and the chain of command to take care of the ship and its passengers. It takes a very large crew to take care of all the passengers on a cruise ship and on such a long trip to Alaska and back. (Dillion is one of my science students who went on an Alaska cruise with his family in May and will be corresponding with me about his experiences as I blog about my experiences on the Fairweather.)

Dear Dillion,

The Fairweather also has a captain whose ultimately responsible for the fate of the crew and the ship. While we are in Juneau, the Fairweather is undergoing a change of command. On Wednesday we had a change of command ceremony. It was a day of celebration and reflection on Fairweather‘s accomplishments. As high-level officials throughout NOAA and other organizations arrived, their arrival was announced or “piped” throughout the entire ship over the intercom system. Later in the day we had the official change over in a special ceremony attended by all of these dignitaries and guests with NOAA Corps officers dressed in full uniform.

152_3289 (2) — The *Fairweather* welcoming dignitaries and guests to the Change of Command ceremony.

After everyone read their remarks on the occasion, the time of the official change over was at hand. The Reading of Orders ceremony was carried out where both the outgoing and incoming commanding officers read their orders for their new assignments. Insignia on each officer’s uniform was changed by the spouses officially indicating the new commanding officer and the outgoing commanding officer. With that Lieutenant Commander Mark Van Waes replaced Commander David Zezula as the CO for the Fairweather becoming its 18^th commanding officer. As the new CO gave his arriving remarks, he reminded us that “Command of a ship is many things…it is an honor to know that the leadership of this organization places special trust in your skills and abilities to hold this position…command is a privilege; of the hundreds of those who have served aboard the Fairweather, only 18 have been the commanding officer…command is a responsibility…for the ship…to the mission…and to the people.” The Dependents Day Cruise and Change of Command Ceremony made for an eventful week while in port in Juneau. Now we prepare for our first hydrographic mission with our new CO.

Did You Know?

The Fairweather has a total tonnage of 1,591 tons, displacement of 1,800 tons, a length of 231 feet, and is A1 ice rated meaning it can safely navigate ice covered seas with the assistance of an ice breaker.

Can You Guess What This Is?

A. power generator B. heat sensor C. an incinerator D. RESON multibeam echosounder

The answer will be provided in the next post!

(The answer to the question in the last post was B. a speaking tube. Speaking tubes or voice pipes were commonly used going back to the early 1800s to relay information from a lookout to the bridge or decks below. They were phased out during the 20^th century by sound-powered telephone networks and later communication innovations. They continue to be used as a reliable backup to more-modern communication methods.)