Student's
Report:
Hello again.
This is Jason and Erik and although we are busy helping to re-string the
Niskin bottles on the CTD again today, we wanted to finish describing
the bridge and some of the NOAA Corps officers. While we were on the bridge
watch we also went on several tours of the ship. We were told "A ship's
officer must have a general knowledge of every part of the ship, and expert
knowledge of much of it." We learned much about the capabilities of the
equipment aboard such as how much weight each of the cranes can bear and
what other heavy machinery the ship has.
We discussed emergency
procedures with CDR George White. Executive Officer White has been with
the Brown for several months now but used to work in Washington D.C. for
the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service. He showed us fire stations
and how the smoke alarms work. He explained what methods of fire fighting
are used such as water and CO2 extinguishers. He talked about electrical,
paper and metal fires. It's hard to imagine metal burning but some of
the newer ships are built with metal alloys that when they reach extreme
temperatures, can burn right down to the waterline. Type D fires are so
hot that spraying water just introduces more oxygen, which causes an even
hotter burn. We also toured the generator room and learned about what
critical systems must be run when there is a loss of power.
LT Mark Boland was with
us during our morning watch. Operations Officer Boland has worked for
NOAA for 10 years and has been with the ship since it was commissioned
in 1997. He worked for a year in Antarctica recording data on global warming
and the ozone layer depletion. He told us a lot about life in the Antarctic
cold but he also taught us many things about evacuation and rescue procedures
if the Brown ever had trouble. He showed us how to deploy the life rafts
and how to make VHF radio broadcasts. He also showed us what distress
signals must be sent out if there is an order to abandon ship. We did
not like to think about this possibility but he taught us that you always
have to have a plan and a back-up plan in case something goes wrong.
Soon we went down to the
ship's hospital to see good-ole "Doc" Aronson who is the ship's Medical
Officer. Doc Aronson has been with the Brown for a long time and this
is his last "hitch." He is being moved to a new and exciting position
in Norfolk, Virginia. We will miss him, and the crew, which knows him
so well, will miss his humor and spontaneous wit. It is nice to know there
is an experienced and capable emergency medical person on board in case
something bad happens.
After visiting Doc, we
toured the noisy engine room with Chief Marine Engineer, Steve Layn. The
first thing he did was to give us earplugs and to tell us to "read my
lips". We went down to the bottom of the ship and were amazed by the size
and awesome power of the engines. He showed us the six generators and
the two rear propeller shafts. Wow, they were really big! We learned about
the transformers and how they reduce and break up the power generated
so that it can be routed to the different outlets throughout the ship.
It was totally awesome and impressive how the whole operation works.
Other crewman helped us
on the bridge as well. Able Bodied Seaman, Miri Skoriak instructed us
on how to handle the helm. AB Skoriak was born in Israel and has spent
many years in the Israeli Navy as a Radio Operator. Miri spends her time
on both bridge and deck watches. She has a lot of responsibility. We were
glad she had so much patience with us. Miri and CDR White taught us how
to do the night rounds and security checks. In a typical night round we
would "darken the ship" by closing all of the portholes so that there
would not be any light coming from the boat that might interfere with
navigation. For our security check, we went around to places like the
galley and checked for burning smells and to make sure any loose items
were secured. We would also go around to see who was working and that
there were no hazards. After our rounds, we would report back to CDR White
that "all is secure, the ship is darkened and the running lights are bright."
He would respond and say "very well" and note the time that the rounds
were made in the log for the Captain's review.
Captain Parsons is directly
responsible for everything that goes on while the ship is under way. We
are especially thankful to him because he is the one who believed that
high school seniors could brave the rigors of an ocean research venture.
We think he was right and we are thankful for this "sneak preview" at
what life is like at sea on an oceanographic expedition. Captain Parsons
was once a NOAA Corps officer-training instructor. NOAA Corps is the nation's
smallest uniformed service. NOAA Corps officers give support to the many
NOAA programs like flying the "hurricane hunter" aircraft and promoting
environmental stewardship by protecting our ocean, coastal and living
marine resources.
ENS Cathy Martin who is
a Junior Officer of the bridge was a big help to us both in instruction
and in getting us ready even before we came aboard. She coordinated our
activities by assigning us to our duties and we are thankful for her help.
To conclude, we have noticed that the seas have picked up to about 8'
with occasional 10 footers making things a little bit tossy out here.
Good thing we're on the Ronald Brown where we are safe and snug as can
be as we continue our experiences as Students at Sea.
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