launch vessel – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

August 21, 2026August 28, 2026

Sabrina Whitaker: A Day in the Life, August 19, 2026

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Sabrina Whitaker

Aboard NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson

August 18-31, 2026

Mission: Hydrographic Survey, Leg 3

Geographic Area of Cruise: Lake Ontario

Date: August 19, 2026

Weather Data from the Bridge

Latitude: 43°22.554’N

Longitude: 76°44.490’W

Winds: W-SW at 5 knots

Temperature: 76° F

Science and Technology Log

A NOAA research vessel is a 24-hour operation. The crew works 12-hour shifts that can start at any part of the day or night and in the rain or shine, pitch black or full daylight.

My day began in the quiet dark at 5:00 a.m. with Ensigns Connor Harrell and Julian Santos as they prepped one of the ship’s small survey boats. Before heading out on the water, thoroughness is everything. They meticulously inspected the engine compartment, checked the water and oil lines, verified the batteries, and—equally crucial for a long shift—packed their sandwich ingredients for the day.

two NOAA Corps officers in navy blue NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson sweatshirts lean over the engine compartment of a small launch vessel — Ensigns Harrell and Santos inspecting the small boat they would later take out

view of a pink-orange sunrise over water; on the horizon, we can make out a distant shoreline — Sunrise over Lake Ontario after inspecting the small boats

By 6:00 a.m., the entire crew gathered for the daily safety meeting to review small boat operations, including resolving past mechanical issues and flagging things to watch. We discussed both small boats on Thomas Jefferson: one had just received a new alternator, while the other developed a persistent clicking sound. The cause? It requires a specialized lubricant that isn’t currently stocked on the Thomas Jefferson. A temporary alternative lubricant is keeping things safe and operational in the meantime, even if the click remains for now.

By 6:20 a.m., it was time to launch. Watching the coordination required to launch both small boats was incredible—it took less than five minutes per boat. I watched my roommate, Hydrographic Survey Tech Haley Kenyon, balance on the moving small boat, calmly releasing heavy lines, relying entirely on her upper body strength and footwork before stepping back inside.

Deploying Boat 2904

view from an upper deck over a railing of NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson as a small launch vessel motors away from the larger ship. the water is teal, illuminated by the sunrise. — Small Boat 2904 after being deployed into the water

These small boats serve as essential advance scouts for the Thomas Jefferson, especially when surveying specialized areas like designated dumping grounds. Using side-scan sonar, they map the seabed and detect potential hazards in shallow or tricky waters, ensuring our main vessel can later navigate safely to conduct high-resolution multibeam survey scans without risking the ship’s hull. Deploying the small boats also speeds up data collection significantly—with Thomas Jefferson and two small boats working simultaneously, we can map vast stretches of the lakebed in a fraction of the time.

Of course, science at sea always comes with unexpected variables. Boat 2903—the one with the brand-new alternator—ran into electrical trouble mid-morning and had to be recovered early. While Boat 2904 pressed on with its mission, the crew was understandably frustrated. But on a research ship, equipment problems are simply part of the job, and it was necessary to bring the boat in for further inspection.

Meanwhile, aboard Thomas Jefferson, we were running our own multibeam scans. The multibeam and sidescan systems integrate positional data from a variety of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) including GPS, European Galileo satellites, and other available orbital networks with depth soundings.

Josh sits at a desk looking at an array of at least seven computer monitors — Survey Tech Josh Gautier collecting hydrographic survey data for NOAA ship *Thomas Jefferson*

To turn sound waves into precise depth measurements, however, you need to know the speed of sound in water, which changes constantly based on temperature and salinity. To capture these variables, a Moving Vessel Profiler (MVP) is deployed. Towed behind the ship, the MVP measures salinity and temperature profiles through the water column. The survey techs aboard NOAA ship Thomas Jefferson launch it roughly every hour, or whenever we transit to a new area, allowing us to continuously calibrate our sonar equations against local water conditions.

Ali, wearing a hard hat and life vest, stands near a small torpedo-shaped scientific instrument suspended from a cable — Hydrographic Senior Survey Tech Ali DiTommaso preparing to launch the MVP

At 4:00 p.m., Boat 2904 returned to the ship. We wrapped up the afternoon with our daily debrief—a chance for both the small-boat teams and the shipboard crew to compare notes, troubleshoot the day’s electrical snags, and refine our approach for tomorrow before heading off to dinner.

Personal Log

Living quarters on a working ship must make use of every usable square inch. I share a room with Haley Kenyon, one of our fantastic survey technicians (and one of the people who went out on the small boat from the morning’s launch video).

view into a stateroom, showing two bunked berths, a narrow wardrobe, and a chest of drawers — Stateroom with two berths

Our room is surprisingly spacious with plenty of storage. Haley is a permanent staffer, so she’s aboard Thomas Jefferson long term, while I’m settling in for my two-week adventure. We each have space in the dresser and closets, and I have the bottom bunk. While the porthole offers a fantastic view of the lake, my lower berth keeps the early morning light out of my eyes.

view of gray water through the top half of a porthole — The view from the porthole in my room

Our room connects to the adjacent stateroom via a shared Jack-and-Jill bathroom with a toilet and shower. It’s compact, but totally functional. Both connecting doors lock securely from the inside—though there’s always a slight paranoia about accidentally locking yourself out. Conveniently, our sink and mirror are located right inside our bathroom in our bedroom, making it super easy to brush teeth and wash up even if the bathroom is occupied.

Did You Know?

Dessert is a mandatory shipboard requirement.

On NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson, official protocol dictates that the crew must be served a dessert at both lunch and dinner. We are extraordinarily lucky because our Chief Steward, Danni Cuff, is a pastry chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America.

Needless to say, the food aboard is great. So far, my scientific duties have been complimented by an impressive rotation of scratch-made cakes, pies, and warm cookies.

a pecan pie, with about one quarter already eaten — One of the pies available to the crew on *Thomas Jefferson*

June 29, 2026June 29, 2026

Jennifer Widdig: On the Front Lines of Charting, June 29, 2026

view from an upper deck of NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson as a small launch vessel approaches for docking

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Jennifer Widdig

Aboard NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson

June 17 – June 30, 2026

Mission: Hydrographic Survey
Geographic Area of Cruise: Lake Erie and Lake Ontario
Date: Monday, June 29, 2026

Weather Data from the Bridge

Latitude: 043^o15’N
Longitude: 077^o22’W
Sky Conditions: Sunny
Visibility: >10miles
Wind Speed: 1 knots
Dry Bulb: 19^oC
Wet Bulb: 18.5^oC

Science and Technology Log

Jen takes a selfie from the railing of a small launch vessel, angled so that we can see NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson in the background at some distance. She wears a green hard hat and orange life vest. The sky is blue with only a few low white clouds, and the water is bright teal with some low waves. — Out on boat 2904 with NOAA Ship *Thomas Jefferson* in the background

One of the highlights of this leg was getting the opportunity to spend a day aboard survey launch 2904. Junior Officer Julian Santos served as our coxswain, while Senior Survey Technician Ali DiTommaso managed the survey equipment. It was a great opportunity to experience how NOAA conducts nearshore hydrographic surveys and to see firsthand the challenges of collecting data in shallow water.

Our mission for the day was to locate the 15-meter depth contour on our assigned survey sheet. Using the multibeam sonar, the display was configured so that anything shallower than 15 meters appeared black. As we “painted” the seafloor with the multibeam, we watched for that black boundary. Once we reached the 15-meter contour, we stopped collecting multibeam data in that area and moved on to find the next section of the contour. Eventually, we connected these sections to create a continuous 15-meter line across the sheet.

photo of a computer screen displaying multibeam data from the small launch vessel. the large portion of the screen shows the depth of the area, color coded; anything shallower than 15 m is shown in dark gray. — Multibeam data from boat 2904

After establishing the contour, we switched to side-scan sonar to survey the area shallower than 15 meters. Because side-scan sonar can cover a much wider swath of the seafloor than the multibeam, our survey lines were spaced farther apart, allowing us to efficiently search for underwater features and potential hazards. During our survey we operated the 75-meter side-scan system in water depths ranging from approximately 7 to 15 meters. We did not have the opportunity to switch to the 50-meter side-scan configuration, which is typically used in even shallower water, from about 4 to 8 meters.

phot of a computer screen displaying sidescan data. the center of the bathymetric map is a vertical black band, representing the track of the small vessel, which cannot collect data directly beneath it with the side-scan sonar. to the left and right of this band is detailed data showing the bumpy surface of the lake bottom. — Getting side-scan data from boat 2904

Working from a small survey launch requires constant multitasking. Since it was the weekend, recreational boat traffic was heavy, requiring extra vigilance while navigating and collecting data. Unlike aboard the ship, the launch crew must solve many equipment issues on their own or troubleshoot with assistance over the phone. At one point, our air conditioning stopped working. Although it certainly made for a warm day, it did not affect the safety of the operation, so we continued surveying.

view of the survey station on board a small vessel. inside the boat's cabin, facing ahead, a desk surface surrounds a single captain's chair. We can see three computer monitors. A survey tech in a purple t-shirt sits facing the computers (away from the camera.) — Ali DiTommaso manning the survey station on boat 2904

Although the surveying stops when the launch returns to the ship, the work is far from over. Every evening, the survey data is processed so it can be evaluated before the next day’s operations. During this process, the survey technicians apply the sound velocity information collected from the Sea-Bird CTD casts. Because sound travels at different speeds depending on the water’s temperature, salinity, and pressure, these measurements are essential for accurately calculating the depth of the seafloor.

The data is also corrected using the vessel’s position, motion, and orientation throughout the survey. Every pitch, roll, heave, and heading change of the launch is accounted for so the seafloor is mapped in its true position rather than being distorted by the boat’s movement. Water level corrections are also applied to account for changes in lake level during the survey.

a zoomed-in view of a nautical chart showing a portion of the southern coastline of Lake Ontario in beige and the water of the lake in blue. There are contour lines at 3 m, 5 m, 7 m drawn extending away from shore. Elsewhere, floating numbers represent depths as deep as 69 m. In a boxed off section of the chart, color coded shading indicates the depths of an entire swath surveyed by NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson, with lime green indicating about 15 m deep and darker blue indicating about 23 m deep. — Processed data for the sheet that Boat 2904 has been working on

Once these corrections have been made, the software combines the overlapping survey lines and “smooths” the edges between them to create a continuous, high-quality map of the seafloor. Processing also helps identify any holidays, small gaps where little or no data was collected. If holidays or other data quality issues are found, the area will need to be resurveyed before the sheet can be considered complete.

survey data (shading, color coded by depth) overlaid on a section of a nautical chart of a portion of Lake Ontario. some areas are shaded in rectangles; some are wide diagonal lines showing the survey data collected as the ship transited from one place to another — Total amount of processed data for this leg of NOAA *Thomas Jefferson*

Personal Log

Jen poses for a photo with a man in a navy sweatshirt and a woman wearing a large headset over years. They are inside the cabin of the small launch vessel. — Coxswain Junior Officer Julian Santos, Senior Survey Technician Ali DiTommaso, and myself aboard boat 2904

Going out on a survey launch was one of the highlights of my time aboard NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson. I already love being out on the water, so I knew my biggest challenge wouldn’t be seasickness but trying not to be rocked to sleep! The water was calm, with waves less than a foot high, something the crew was very thankful for, even if I secretly wouldn’t have minded a little more excitement.

After boarding 2904, we were lowered over the side of the ship. I followed Senior Survey Technician Ali DiTommaso onto the bow, where she released the locking clamps that connected us to the davit. It was fascinating to watch how smoothly the process worked and to finally experience a launch from the small boat perspective.

Jen sits at the helm of the small launch vessel, her left hand on the wheel, and turns her head to smile for a photo — Taking a turn at the wheel on boat 2904

We spent the day on the water from about 6:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. The launch may be much smaller than the ship, but it is surprisingly well equipped. We brought water, hot water for tea, breakfast, and snacks, and there was even a small refrigerator stocked with sandwich supplies and a microwave for lunch. It felt like a tiny floating office.

With Junior Officer Julian Santos serving as coxswain and Ali running the survey operations, I jokingly felt like the “passenger princess” for the day. While they handled the work, I had the opportunity to observe every aspect of the survey. Seeing hydrography on a smaller scale helped me better understand the process.

view from a distance of a small launch vessel approaching NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson — Boat 2903 getting ready for recovery by NOAA Ship *Thomas Jefferson*

One of the most impressive moments came at the end of the day during recovery. Watching the coxswain carefully maneuver alongside the TJ looked effortless, but I quickly realized how much coordination is required. The engineers stand by in case there are any issues with the davit or the launch, the Bosun operates the davit, crew handle the lines, and the entire evolution is supervised by the Commanding Officer and Executive Officer. Meanwhile, the bridge monitors everything from the bridge wing to ensure the recovery is completed safely and efficiently.

view from an upper deck of NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson of the recovery of a small launch vessel. The small vessel has pulled up alongside the large ship, and two davit arms with cables are lowering toward the boat. seven crewmembers with hard hats stand distributed around the two davits, read to help bring the small boat aboard. we can see other crewmembers watching the operation from higher decks. — Boat 2904 being recovered by the crew of NOAA Ship *Thomas Jefferson*

Before I had the chance to ride on one of the launches, I had watched them return to the ship from the deck. Seeing the boats racing across the water toward the TJ with spray flying behind them reminded me of something straight out of an old James Bond movie. They looked fast, powerful, and just a little dramatic. It felt like they were in slow motion!

Santos and Ali really made the day great, and I was lucky enough to get to tag along with them!

Did You Know?

The Great Lakes span 4,530 miles of coast and account for 21% of the world’s freshwater, with more that 30 million people relying on them for drinking water.
The nautical term “holiday” comes from the 17th century when missing a spot while painting a ship. “Were you on a holiday?” or “Do you need a holiday?”

July 15, 2019July 18, 2019

Meg Stewart: Data Acquisition on a Small Boat: Tips and Tricks, July 14, 2019

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Meg Stewart

Aboard NOAA Ship Fairweather

July 8 – 19, 2019

Mission: Cape Newenham Hydrographic Survey

Geographic Area of Cruise: Bering Sea and Bristol Bay, Alaska

Date: July 14, 2019

Weather Data from the Bridge
Latitude: 58° 36.7 N
Longitude: 162° 02.5 W
Wind: 9 knots SE
Barometer: 1005.0 mb
Visibility: 10 nautical miles
Temperature: 61° F or 15.5° C
Weather: Overcast with fog, no precipitation

Science and Technology Log

Launch preparation — A launch getting ready to survey. The setup process takes some time and all of the preparation is necessary for accuracy in the data.

Heave, pitch, roll, and yaw describe the movements of a boat (or a plane). An inertial measurement unit reads those discrete movements. Source: wikipedia

In the last post I talked about hydrographic surveying, the software used and the multibeam echosounder on the survey boats (called launches). The software is setup in the cabin by the hydrographer in charge. It takes a good five minutes to get an accurate read from the GPS (global positioning system) receiver. Then it takes time for the IMU (inertial measurement unit) to respond and start to read the boat’s heave, pitch, roll, yaw, and heading values.

hydrograpers — The hydrographer in charge (standing) is showing the hydrographer in training (seated) how to setup the day’s survey project using the echosounder software.

launch data storage — The four *Fairweather* launches have the same, high-end technology in their cabins used to collect data from the multibeam echosounder, CTD sensor, a sound speed system, and a positioning and altitude system.

Often, the launch drives in a circle eight in order for the positioning receivers to be “seen” by the satellites, as a stationary object is more difficult to detect than one that is moving. Setting up the day’s project using the multibeam echosounder software also takes some time but all the steps need to be done properly and to the correct specifications prior to starting the sounder. If not, the locational data will be wildly off and the depths inaccurate.

Another task that must be done from the launch before starting to transect is to test the salinity and water temperature using a CTD probe, which is called a cast. I mentioned this in a previous post. CTD stands for conductivity, temperature and depth. In the general area where the launch will survey, the CTD drops slowly to the bottom of the seafloor, collecting data that will be fed into the hydrographic program. Salinity and temperature at different depths will slightly change the rate at which sound travels in water. Again, the CTD process makes the location and depths as accurate as possible and must be done.

Meg casts CTD probe — Casting the CTD probe into the survey location to get conductivity, temperature and depth readings.

Usually, the chief hydrographer sets the defined area to be transected for the day and this is usually a polygon. The launch will sweep with the multibeam echosounder the outside lines and then scan at parallel set distances between the lines, either in a roughly north-south direction or a roughly east-west direction. For this particular hydrographic project, coverage of survey lines can be spaced at about 400 meters apart or greater apart depending on the depth. Recall that the nautical chart of Bristol Bay from the last post showed soundings dotting the area. Solid bathymetric coverage is not always needed on these projects. The Cape Newenham area has proven to have gradually varying depths and is mostly quite flat so free from obvious obstructions like large boulders and sunken ships.

Once the technology setup is complete in the cabin, the hydrographer shares the map window with the coxswain (the person in charge of steering or navigating the boat). The hydrographer sets the points and the lines so that the coxswain knows where to direct the launch. And by direct, I mean the coxswain uses compass direction and boat speed to get from place to place for the survey. And the hydrographer in charge turns the echosounder on and off when the launch is in position or out of position.

Because the transects run parallel to each other and are equally spaced apart, the hydrographers call this technique “mowing the lawn,” (see video below) for they are essentially mowing the surface of the ocean while the multibeam echosounder is collecting soundings of the surface of the seafloor.

A video of someone mowing a lawn on a riding lawnmower

A day out on a launch will go from about 8:30am to about 4:30pm but sometimes an hour or so later. If the Alaskan weather is cooperating, the hydrographers want to do as much as they can while out on the launch. Once surveying is complete for the day, the hydrographer in charge has to close up and save the project. Then data get transferred to the larger workstations and shared drive on the Fairweather.

Meg on launch — Every day on the launch, at least on this leg, has been great with perfect weather. And today, the added bonus for me was the phenomenal geology as we surveyed right along the shore.

Personal Log

I’ve taken loads of photos and video while at sea. I have tried to post just those pictures that help explain what I’ve been trying to say in the text. I haven’t posted any video on here as the internet on the ship is very weak. These next photos are a tour of different parts of the NOAA Ship Fairweather.

NOAA Corps Officer looking at a navigational screen
Instrument panel
thermometers
anemometer
barometer

The above slide show gives an idea of what the bridge is like. The ship is steered from the bridge. All the navigational instruments and weather devices, among other tools, are found on the bridge.

These emergency billets are for me, TAS Stewart, Meg, and it’s posted on my door. For each emergency situation, Fire, Abandon Ship, or Man Overboard, there is a bell sound and the location on the ship where I am to muster. Life at sea is all about being ready for anything.

This is the mess (where we eat. And eat. And eat!) The food is fantastic but I’ve gained some pounds for sure.

Ice cream spot — Maybe this is why. Sometimes the Ice Cream Spot looks like this. Ha!

Laundry machines available and detergent is supplied. No need to bring all your clothes. Also, sheets and towels are supplied.

Stairs are called ladders on a ship. Makes sense to me – they’re often pretty steep. You must always hold a rail.

Lounge full of people — Yes, so this is the lounge and there can be meetings in here, training, movies, games, puzzles, quiet space, etc.

DVD in stateroom — Or, you can pop a DVD into a player in the Lounge, go back to your stateroom and watch. Or fall asleep. This is the original Blade Runner (which I never saw) and which I didn’t care for.

Finer things — The good folks of Ship *Fairweather* like to have a nice time every now and again, so they set up evenings, about once a leg, to have Finer Things. People come by, bring fine cheeses, fine chocolates, fine almonds, fine fig jelly, and fine maple sugar candy from Rhinebeck, NY, and have a fine time. And a disco ball.

Did You Know?

Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) technology that is so important for accurate hydrographic survey mapping was developed by the U.S. military. IMUs were used in the development of guided missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (and now drones), battlefield reconnaissance, and target practice.

Quote of the Day

“A ship in port is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.” – Grace Hopper

June 12, 2019

Lona Hall: Rockin’ at the NALL on Ugak, June 10, 2019

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Lona Hall

Aboard NOAA Ship Rainier

June 3 – 14, 2019

Mission: Kodiak Island Hydrographic Survey

Geographic Area of Cruise: Kodiak Island, Alaska

Date: June 10, 2019

Time: 1932 hours

Location: Saltery Cove, Kodiak Island

Weather from the Bridge:

Latitude: 57°29.1359’ N

Longitude: 152°44.0488’ W

Wind Speed: 17.2 knots

Wind Direction: N (353 degrees)

Air Temperature: 12.13° Celsius

Water Temperature: 9.44° Celsius

Lona on a launch vessel — Sitting in the sun on a launch, Rainier in the background

Science and Technology Log

For my second time out on a launch, I was assigned to a shoreline survey at Narrow Cape and around Ugak Island (see chart here). Survey Tech Audrey Jerauld explained the logistics of the shoreline survey. First, they try to confirm the presence of charted features (rocks) along the shore. (As you may remember from my last post, a rock is symbolized by an asterisk on the charts.) Then, they use the small boat’s lidar (LIght Detection And Ranging) to find the height of the rocks. Instead of using sound pulses, as with sonar, lidar uses pulses of laser light.

Point Cloud: Each dot represents a lidar “ping”, indicating the presence of features above the waterline

Once a rock was identified, Audrey photographed it and used the laser to find the height of the rock to add to the digital chart. The launch we used for the shoreline survey was RA-2, a jet boat with a shallow draft that allows better access to the shoreline. We still had to be careful not to get too close to the rocks (or to the breakers crashing into the rocks) at certain points around Ugak Island. The line parallel to the shore beyond which it is considered unsafe to survey is called the NALL (Navigable Area Limit Line). The NALL is determined by the crew, with many factors taken into account, such as shoreline features, marine organisms, and weather conditions. An area with many rocks or a dangerously rocky ledge might be designated as “foul” on the charts.

Amanda and Audrey discussing the locations of rocks along the shoreline

I must pause here to emphasize how seriously everyone’s safety is taken, both on the small boats and the ship itself. In addition to strict adherence to rules about the use of hard hats and Personal Flotation Devices in and around the launches, I have participated in several drills during my stay on the ship (Man Overboard, Fire and Emergency, and Abandon Ship), during which I was given specific roles and locations. At the bottom of each printed Plan of the Day there is always a line that states, “NEVER shall the safety of life or property be compromised for data acquisition.” Once more, I appreciate how NOAA prioritizes the wellbeing of the people working here. It reminds me of my school district’s position about ensuring the safety of our students. No institution can function properly where safety is not a fundamental concern.

Career Focus – Marine Engineer

Johnny Brewer joined the Navy in 1997. A native of Houston, Texas, many of his family members had served in the military, so it seemed natural for him to choose a similar path after high school. The Navy trained him as a marine engineer for a boiler ship. Nearly 15 years later he went into the Navy Reserve and transitioned to working for NOAA.

Working as an engineer requires mental and physical strength. The Engineering Department is responsible for maintaining and updating all of the many working parts of the ship–not just the engine, as you might think! The engineers are in charge of the complex electrical systems, plumbing, heating and cooling, potable water, sewage, and the launches used for daily survey operations. They fix everything that needs to be fixed, no matter how large or small the problem may be.

Johnny emphasized how important math is in his job. Engineers must have a deep understanding of geometry (calculating area, volume, density, etc.) and be able to convert measurements between the metric and American systems, since the ship’s elements are from different parts of the world. He also described how his job has given him opportunities to visit and even live in new places, such as Hawaii and Japan. Johnny said that when you stay in one place for too long you can become “stuck in a box,” unaware of the world of options waiting for you outside of the box. As a teacher, I hope that my students take this message to heart.

Personal Log

In my last post I introduced Kimrie Zentmeyer, our Acting Chief Steward. In our conversation, she compared the ship to a house, the walls of which you cannot leave or communicate beyond, except by the ship’s restricted wi-fi, while you are underway. I would like for my readers (especially my students) to imagine living like this, confined day in and day out to a single space, together with your work colleagues, without family or friends from home. How would you adjust to this lifestyle? Do you have what it takes to live and work on a ship? Before you answer, consider the views from your back porch!

Word of the Day

bulkhead – a wall dividing the compartments within the hull of a ship

Q & A

Are there other NOAA ships working in Alaska?

Yes! NOAA Ship Fairweather is Rainier’s sister-ship and is homeported in Ketchikan, Alaska. Also, the fisheries survey vessel, NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson is homeported in Kodiak, not far from where we are currently located.

What did you eat for dinner?

This evening I had sauteed scallops, steamed broccoli, and vegetable beef stew. And lemon meringue pie. And a cherry turnover. And ice cream.

June 29, 2018June 29, 2018

Brandy Hill: Chat with Chief Engineer and My First Tuna Catch, June 28, 2018

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Brandy Hill

Aboard NOAA ship Thomas Jefferson

June 25, 2018 – July 6, 2018

Mission: Hydrographic Survey- Approaches to Houston

Geographic Area of Cruise: Gulf of Mexico

Date: June 28, 2018

Weather Data from the Bridge

Latitude: 28° 50.7’ N

Longitude: 093° 34.4’ W

Visibility: 10+ nm

Sky Condition: 4/8

Wind: 12 kts

Temperature:

Sea Water: 29.6° C

Air: 29.3° C

Science and Technology Log

This afternoon I spent an hour with Chief Marine Engineer, Thom Cleary. As promised, he gave me a tour of the Engine Room. Thom arrived on the Thomas Jefferson in 2011 and has worked not only on maintaining operations, but greatly improving them. When asked about his favorite ship mechanism, he responded with one that is not his favorite but of which he is most proud. The Thomas Jefferson, along with most other ships, typically used to rid greywater and sewage by offloading into the ocean. The EPA states that ships must be at least one nautical mile from land or people in the water and three nautical miles from aquaculture (2018). With hydrographic survey operations taking place in “no discharge” areas (close to shore), this could complicate and/or slow down the Thomas Jefferson’s progress.

Realizing the inefficiency and in an effort to improve, Thom investigated other options. It was decided that a fuel storage tank would be converted to hold more wastewater. After a long wait period, the new method was installed. Within the first season 38,000 gallons of sewage was stored and discharged to a shore treatment facility. Today, the tanks have gone almost two months without release into the Gulf of Mexico. This improvement has allowed hydrographic operations to continue without interruption, conserves fuel, and increases efficiency.

Renovations to the Thomas Jefferson did not stop there. Originally constructed in 1991, the ship has room for many other improvements. Thom and team advocated for all natural lubricants (rather than petroleum), switched all light fixtures to LEDs, and adjusted the ballast system. In 2016 the roughly 122,000 gallon ballast system changed from using sea to municipal water. This now allows the ship to move from multiple coastal waters without concern for carrying invasive species in the ballast tanks. In addition, the new waste water tank was strategically placed in the center of the ship to help with stability.

Ballast diagram showing invasive species risk. (CC)

Thom is an innovator and self-described incorrigible tinkerer. Many of these changes would not have been made without his (and team’s) desire and advocacy to make things better. When I asked if these upgrades were standard on ships, he mentioned that the Thomas Jefferson is a trailblazer.

Chief Engineer Thom Cleary and the desalination/ reverse osmosis system. The RO typically operates at 650 psi (with 900psi maximum potential) and pushes sea water through a membrane creating potable water for the ship.

Personal Log

CO (Commanding Officer) authorized a launch on one of the boats. After some mishaps with a fuse, the crew performed multiple safety checks and we were cleared to go. Mission: collect survey data near a stationary platform. CO’s comfort level to obstructions with the main ship is a half-mile, so having the smaller launch boats is helpful when surveying areas like this.

Launch Boat Approach — The launch boat crew from left to right: Lt. Klemm, Kevin Brown, Pat Osborn, and Brandy Hill (below deck).

SurveyNearPlatform — Survey area near the stationary platform. The ship to the left is a supply vessel.

While cruising out to the survey area, I spoke with Pat Osborn, part of the Thomas Jefferson’s deck crew and our survey line driver for the day. Pat has two years of training and was explaining that he is still learning parts of his job. (Everyone on the ship wears multiple hats.) He spoke highly of his job and appreciated the multi-dimensional relationship between CO and the crew. Pat explained that CO is not expected to be an expert in all areas of the ship- there are safety checks (such as preparing for the launch) where the CO asks lead crew members to evaluate and sign-off prior to action. Every mission I’ve observed and attended has proceeded in this manner. It is a highly respectful and safe environment.

AllisonLaunchApproach — Chief Survey Technician, Allison Stone, awaiting launch boat arrival.

Launch Return to Ship — Patrick Osborn approaching ship Thomas Jefferson with the launch boat.

KevinDeployingCTD — Kevin Brown lowers the CTD while the boat is stationary. A CTD captures the salinity, temperature, depth, and concentration of particles in the water column. This information is used for analyzing the survey data. On the ship, this information is collected using an MVP which allows the ship to stay in motion.

As soon as we had the survey equipment set up and running, survey technician Kevin Brown brought out a fishing pole. I hadn’t realized that we could fish while out on the boat! We proceeded to catch and release about 10 tuna (likely False Albacore and Bonito). Kevin reeled in two, then passed the pole to me. I couldn’t believe how hard it was to real in a fish. I was reading that they can stay on the line and swim up to 40 mph!

Brandy reeling — Brandy Hill’s active line power stance.

Brandy Hill and her first fishing boat catch, False Albacore.

Peaks

+ Witnessed hard work and precision paying off- the launch boat survey data had an error of 0.0006 meters. The data is highly accurate!

+ Drove “the survey line” on the launch boat. (More of an explanation coming soon.)

+ Reeled in a beautiful, tough fish.

Note: After the seasickness subsided, I’ve decided to leave out the “Valleys” category. I’m having a great time.