As the junction box and the observatory are lowered to the bottom of the ocean, all of their parts will want to vibrate and come loose as water passes around them. For this reason, my day began by helping Kimball secure everything on these two platforms with red twine. In wrapping the twine methodically around the cables, my attention was half to tightness and security, half to aesthetic appeal. As Kimball put it, I was tying macramé bracelets around them.
Later, Kimball and I did some acrobatics in the staging area trying to string the Iridium cables for the satellite phones from the O2 deck – the upper level – down to the computer setup in the lab. The hooks on which we were supposed to hang these cables were a couple feet above the reach of my fingertips which required a bit of jumping like a kindergartner, a bit of swinging precariously from pipes and handles, and a bit of help from those taller than I who took pity.
For most of the day I continued doing various tasks mostly involving moving objects from one location to the other with John, the oceanographer who designed the glass sphere contraption in which the video camera is to be installed at the observatory, and others.
By the end of the afternoon, there was just one more neon green cable to be untwisted and wound around the anchor. Though Jefrey, Dave, Nicholas and I employed the same method from the previous afternoon, this run was not as smooth as the last. However after a bit of creative problem solving, the wire spooling went swimmingly.
Then next day, I got to the ship by 0700 without any bus adventures this time as Roger gave me a ride. I found my stateroom, which has a window overlooking the port quarterdeck where Jason sits still with his innards exposed. Muscle memory has already served me well in finding the galley and the conference room without trying to descend the stairs through a linen closet. This familiarity however has tricked me already into almost opening the stateroom in which I slept last, which is just across the hall from my new one.
The gangway went up at 0740 and we left just after 0800 after waiting for a last minute supply to be brought to the ship. Passing by rows of containers being lifted off and on ships, the bustle of the city was left behind for a new kind of bustle – that of a working ship. Oahu quickly became a pimple on the horizon as we headed for Ka’ena Ridge.
A couple of meetings took place – one to review safety and schedule for the ship and the next to review in more detail the objectives of all parties – the Jason group, the ACO group and the geologists researching Ka’ena Ridge. Fire and abandon ship drills followed. I managed to narrowly avoid donning the dreaded enormous orange survival suit again.
After a delicious fish taco lunch and the inevitable small handful of M&M’s, Cammy, Dave, Jefrey and I took apart one of the ADP’s, the instruments that measure current profiles, to inspect it and clean the o-rings that seal it tight. Once all clean, we filled the cavity of the ADP with helium gas. The real fun began when we filled our own cavities with the helium and giggled like Oompa-Loompas. Trevor stunned us all by stopping by for a cameo singing an impromptu Tom Lehrer song in a voice that should have belonged to a 4-year-old girl.
At 1600, the engineers and scientists involved in the operation of Jason briefed us about safety during Jason deployments. They explained the functions of the various lights, cameras and manipulating arms. There are nearly have a dozen cameras on Jason which look down at the shelf on which the rocks will be stored, at his right and left arms, out in front of him, and one which looks aft of the ROV, called the butt cam. With two large video cameras housed in globe like covers centered in the front, I can’t help but see a face in Jason.
We then shuffled up to the control room where we were briefed on the operation of Jason. It is housed in what they call here a van, but to my someone not familiar with the lingo (myself, before my first HOT cruise) it is a shipping container remodeled on the inside to house work and storage space. The van looks like it should be located deep under a mountain in Switzerland with full time guards and a high tech security system. In reality, the crew of Jason share very little in common with intimidating guards but the systems are very high tech. Half a dozen screens cover one whole length of the van, and three large lounging chairs face them – one for the pilot, one for the navigator and one for the engineer. The pilot sits in the middle with control panels in front of him used to control the movements of Jason’s arms, cameras and other parts. I went through this training with others because I will have the opportunity to sit in the van while Jason is underwater and help them record video and events.
The first bit of action off the side of the ship happened at sunset when the transducer was lowered to test its ability to communicate with the transponder – a system that enables Jason to locate itself underwater. While engineers from Jason’s crew explained to me the difference between a transducer and a transponder, the sun set and the stars flashed along the horizon with varying brightness.
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