MESA Archives: Aleutian Islands Deep Water Corals Cruise, July 29, 2004
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Another team takes the lead
By science reporter Sonya Senkowsky.
Location: Above Adak Canyon
Early this morning, the leadership of the cruise was handed over to the other
science team sharing Jason II. Now in charge for the next three days is Gene
Yogodzinski, a geologist with the University of South Carolina, who’s studying
deep submarine canyons. We’re now driving north and south above Adak Canyon so
that his team may gain multibeam mapping information. Our next dive site will be
south of Kanaga Island.
We had a bit of a delay in science work last night, when Jason II went out of order
due to a sheared-off linch pin in the cable's winch assembly. The problem sent a large
metal disk shooting across the engine room, which made a thud you could hear throughout
the ship. No one was in harm's way.
The problem kinked Jason's fiber optic cable (its "lifeline"), so video-related
operations had to stop until the vehicle was working again. It's the first time
this particular problem has come up, said Capt. Dave Murline, who had originally
predicted a delay of up to 24 hours. The scientists were unruffled; as Fish & Game
scientist Doug Woodby said, delays are so common on research cruises as to be routine.
In fact, the crew had Jason II back in working order in just a few hours.
Our next dive site will be south of Kanaga Island.
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