Palmer Station is quite unique in many ways; one of them is that the only way to get to the station is by boat. That job usually falls on the sturdy shoulders of the Laurence M. Gould (LMG). This is the boat that I am taking to Palmer Station. The LMG was first commissioned in 1997. Its hull is capable of breaking through ice 1-4 feet thick and in open waters can move with a speed between 10-15 knots, which means it will take the ship around four days to make the crossing starting from Punta Arenas, Chile. There are four main decks where people sleep, do research, eat and it even has a lounge with a ton of movies and books to watch and read.
Sleeping quarters on the LMG.
Most of the time, the ship runs on autopilot, but the bridge is always manned by the captain or one of the three mates. Today, I had the pleasure of talking with Gabriel, a 3rd Mate. He has been working ships in the Gulf of Mexico and Antarctica for six years, but this is only his second time traveling on the LMG. He showed me around the bridge and gave me a quick tutorial on all the instruments. I was even luck enough to see a manual turn, since the ship had finally past Cape Horn and needed to head due south. Some of the most important pieces of equipment are the two Radar Scanners and a Fathometer; the radar devices show everything from waves, to ice and other ships, and the Fathometer tell us the depth of the ocean we are traveling through.
Fathometer showing depth of the ocean.
This all sounds easy, but there are many variables associated with making sure the ship is sailing in the right direction. Winds and currents will want to push the boat off course and so the pilots of the ship need to always be readjusting the course headings by adjusting the rudders on the ship. Speed is also something that is always on the mind of the pilot, so they are constantly changing the pitch on the blades. The sharper the pitch of the blades the more water the blades can pull through the system and the faster the boat will travel.
Gabe taking control of the steering on the bridge.
Sample of the propellars on the LMG.
Today's question comes from Daisy Spicer: "How long will it take you to get to Palmer Station on the LMG?
It usually takes around 96 hours, but can be much longer if there is ice blocking the ship.
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