sea90E - an oceanographic expedition to the Indian Ocean



	Exploring the Bridge of the RV Roger Revelle The captain and mates are in charge of our unique world out here at sea. The Revelle is a whole system that fits together like puzzle pieces, and has to do it well because we are far away from ANYTHING else. In some ways, the ship is independent from land, but highly dependent on everyone doing what is needed. So let's look into the main control center, better known as the bridge. The command center is at the highest point of the ship so that there is a clear view of EVERYTHING. In the picture above, Richard, the Chief Mate looks out the starboard (right), aft (back) ports where there is a clear view to the stern (back) of the ship. The captain and mates command the ship out at sea on science expeditions all over the world. This ship was launched in the Atlantic, has been to the Antarctic, the Indian Ocean, the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, and to almost every area of the Pacific. The Revelle will be in Cape Town, South Africa by the end of this year! What a great job if you like to travel, huh? In the picture above, Heather, one of the mates, is making a course change electronically with the autopilot. By steering electronically, it is possible to not only select the direction but also how fast the ship turns. The two handles to the left are controls for the left and right main engines. (electric, remember) From this point or from three other steering stations on the bridge deck, the captain or mates are able to set the new course and the amount the the ship needs to turn. At any time, they can go directly to any of these hand controls and change the course from there. Cool, huh? OK, so we can steer the ship. How do we decide where to go? Hmhmhmhmmm. If you were able to follow the web site from when we started our expedition back in Thailand, you would know that our first step after basic planning was to decide our course and speed. If you would like to see some of the details, look in at the first science challenge. Once we know this, we enter the course in the main navigation computer and away we go! Well, yes, but that is only one area of responsibility. On the bridge, this is the most critical area for watch-keeping. The crew is on a four hour rotation. The captain and each of the three mates have full responsibility of the ship, for safety and navigation during their time on watch. At all times, there is also a backup person in case some help is needed. Backup Chart Room Let's look at the navigation. All of the charts are electronic and are maintained with the latest changes, sometimes electronically transmitted. This is very important because lights or other navigation markers do change sometimes. The area above is the second chart room. In the forward part of the bridge is a room with a large carefully lit chart table, reference books, more instruments... The ship also keeps a full set of all of the updated paper full-sized charts. Course lines are marked on these charts to keep a full running record of the ship's progress. If the electronics were to go down, the ship can still navigate safely. Check Out All These Navigation and Instrument Antennaes! There are always the traditional ways of navigation that have been used by mariners for several hundred years. We talked about the sextant in one of the blog pages; some of the scientists became quite interested in learning the details about navigation. Richard, the Chief Mate is a master navigator and uses the sun and stars to cross-check the compass and to verify the GPS position if needed. So there you have it, a quck snapshot of the command center of the ship, the bridge of the RV Roger Revelle. updated July 21, 2007 from the Indian Ocean
			High.Seas.HIGHTECH/ analyze!ocean@voyages, by lots of us... How to Become a Captain, by the Captain The Search for the Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin, by Leslie Nemazi. Rocks Rock! (or ) The Fresh Cut Surface of Beautiful Ocean Rock, by Evelyn Mervine Exploring the Bridge of the RV Roger Revelle Dredging Operations onboard the R/V Revelle, by Amy Eisin Geochemistry of Volcanic Rocks, by Fred Frey Cool Expedition Discoveries Already!, by Will Sager Anatomy of a Seamount Survey, by Will Sager M agnetometers (“Maggie”) and Attracting Sharks, by Rory Wilson Acoustics: Substitute for Superman Vision?, by Will Sager What is Bathymetry?, by Will Sager Hotspots and Ninetyeast Ridge: What’s a hotspot?, by Will Sager