By reading these journals, I hope that you have developed an appreciation for how science is done out here. The sense of scale is hard to imagine-- everything is so BIG. The dip nets are Bongos, water sampling is by Rosette, mooring buoys weight 2500 pounds, holes are made with 10" augers, our arms are replaced with cranes and winches and engines. And all of this is done outside in the Arctic, where both air and water temperatures hover around 0C (and that is before the wind is taken into account). Decks are slippery, ice is moving, polar bears may be interested and all the while big heavy things, from helicopters to strings of glass balls, are moving around overhead.
Who runs all this equipment? The LSSL Deck Crew. The Boatswain is in charge of everything that happens on the deck.
Rico Amamio is the Boatswain in charge of the deck crew.
The term Boatswain (abbreviated "Bosun") is an old mariner term used to describe the person in charge of the deck crew. Rico Amamio is the LSSL Boatswain. His crew helps us each and every day. They run the cranes and winches that bring in the moorings.
Bosun Rico and Will Ostrom guide a sediment trap on a mooring aboard.
They bring up the Rosette
Quartermaster Danny Dunlap at the Rosette winch.
Derrick Stone runs the Rosette winch while Will Burt waits for it to surface.
They bring in the Bongos
John Bray operates the crane on the fore deck. The crane is used to put a variety of large instruments, such as Bongo nets and mooring parts, in the water.
They get us into the helicopter to get out onto the ice
John Snow, Chief Officer Stan Nunn and Terry Rhyno help Waldeck Walczowski put on his life jacket prior to boarding the helicopter.
They help us out on the ice
Gary Morgan and Rick Krishfield connect the wire to the buoy in the final stages of ITP deployment. Gary's experienced hands are a huge help out on the ice.
Dave McGrath watches out for polar bears at Ice Camp Moonscape.
John Snow was our gun man at Ice Camp Louis.
They drive the ship
Quartermaster Barry Hill drives the ship, under the command of the Captain.
And they make us smile!
Quartermaster Steve Archibald practices in a storeroom so as to not bother any sleepers. He is bringing the set up this weekend for a jam session with the Captain and Chief Engineer.
Mike Worth and Eli
Thank you LSSL Deck Crew!
So long, for now, from the deck of the Louis!