[Cruise Journal 20 December]
Several days of travelling from the test dive site to the first survey area provide us some time to review the scientific fundamentals of our mission and the history of the twenty-year-plus research program we’re part of, as well as a chance for the crew to make us feel at home on board.
First order of business: the galley surprised Alex with a post-watch birthday celebration including rousing song led by mess attendant (and chief morale officer) Annie and a cake from chief steward Tony. And if that weren’t consolation enough for an 0000-0400 birthday watch, the crew are happy to bestow another honor on the celebrant: the dangerous but mission-critical deployment of the XBT, an instrument with a crucial role in calibrating the ship’s many sonar-based sensor systems.
![Marine technician Bern instructs Alex in the procedures and gear necessary for safe deployment of the XBT](http://web.whoi.edu/jurassicmagnetism/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2014/12/alex_xbt_prep-300x200.jpg)
Marine technician Bern instructs Alex in the procedures and gear necessary for safe deployment of the XBT
Making our way from the computer lab to the aft deck, numerous members of the crew stuck their heads out of various hatches to double check the full complement of safety gear equipped by our student XBT-launcher. The deployment of this instrument is one of the very rare exceptions to the “science party has no reason to be near the transom” rule (the transom is the very back of the ship, and on the Sikuliaq forms a sheer drop to the water separated from the aft deck by just a cargo netting). Fortunately, the science party puts a great deal of trust in the abilities of the marine techs like Bern to help us conduct operations safely and efficiently. This means we also are naturally inclined to give credence to the solemn warnings Bern and company issued to us regarding the firing of the XBT.
![Left: ready to fire. Right: XBT deployed. Alex was fortunately not injured during the launch, nor dragged overboard by the probe's wire. Did you miss it? Not to worry. We launched another one...](http://web.whoi.edu/jurassicmagnetism/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2014/12/launching_xbt-300x150.jpg)
Left: ready to fire. Right: XBT deployed. Alex was fortunately not injured during the launch, nor dragged overboard by the probe’s wire. Did you miss it? Not to worry. We launched another one…
Of course, it wouldn’t feel much like home if we weren’t being masterfully, expertly, and mercilessly led on through a ritual of grave warnings and dire insinuations about the capacity for bodily harm inherent in throwing a small torpedo-shaped temperature probe over the side of the ship. Happy birthday, Alex! with fondest regards from the Sikuliaq’s thoroughly entertained crew. (There’s a lot more to say about the XBT; watch for another post on what it’s for, and how it works.)
Next on the agenda: co-chief scientist Dr. Maurice Tivey delivers the science briefing to our team and Sentry’s, and we share this history and background with you.