Student's Report:
Hello again.
This is Jason and Erik and although we are busy helping to re-string the Niskin bottles on the CTD again today, we wanted to finish describing the bridge and some of the NOAA Corps officers. While we were on the bridge watch we also went on several tours of the ship. We were told "A ship's officer must have a general knowledge of every part of the ship, and expert knowledge of much of it." We learned much about the capabilities of the equipment aboard such as how much weight each of the cranes can bear and what other heavy machinery the ship has.

We discussed emergency procedures with CDR George White. Executive Officer White has been with the Brown for several months now but used to work in Washington D.C. for the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service. He showed us fire stations and how the smoke alarms work. He explained what methods of fire fighting are used such as water and CO2 extinguishers. He talked about electrical, paper and metal fires. It's hard to imagine metal burning but some of the newer ships are built with metal alloys that when they reach extreme temperatures, can burn right down to the waterline. Type D fires are so hot that spraying water just introduces more oxygen, which causes an even hotter burn. We also toured the generator room and learned about what critical systems must be run when there is a loss of power.

LT Mark Boland was with us during our morning watch. Operations Officer Boland has worked for NOAA for 10 years and has been with the ship since it was commissioned in 1997. He worked for a year in Antarctica recording data on global warming and the ozone layer depletion. He told us a lot about life in the Antarctic cold but he also taught us many things about evacuation and rescue procedures if the Brown ever had trouble. He showed us how to deploy the life rafts and how to make VHF radio broadcasts. He also showed us what distress signals must be sent out if there is an order to abandon ship. We did not like to think about this possibility but he taught us that you always have to have a plan and a back-up plan in case something goes wrong.

Soon we went down to the ship's hospital to see good-ole "Doc" Aronson who is the ship's Medical Officer. Doc Aronson has been with the Brown for a long time and this is his last "hitch." He is being moved to a new and exciting position in Norfolk, Virginia. We will miss him, and the crew, which knows him so well, will miss his humor and spontaneous wit. It is nice to know there is an experienced and capable emergency medical person on board in case something bad happens.

After visiting Doc, we toured the noisy engine room with Chief Marine Engineer, Steve Layn. The first thing he did was to give us earplugs and to tell us to "read my lips". We went down to the bottom of the ship and were amazed by the size and awesome power of the engines. He showed us the six generators and the two rear propeller shafts. Wow, they were really big! We learned about the transformers and how they reduce and break up the power generated so that it can be routed to the different outlets throughout the ship. It was totally awesome and impressive how the whole operation works.

Other crewman helped us on the bridge as well. Able Bodied Seaman, Miri Skoriak instructed us on how to handle the helm. AB Skoriak was born in Israel and has spent many years in the Israeli Navy as a Radio Operator. Miri spends her time on both bridge and deck watches. She has a lot of responsibility. We were glad she had so much patience with us. Miri and CDR White taught us how to do the night rounds and security checks. In a typical night round we would "darken the ship" by closing all of the portholes so that there would not be any light coming from the boat that might interfere with navigation. For our security check, we went around to places like the galley and checked for burning smells and to make sure any loose items were secured. We would also go around to see who was working and that there were no hazards. After our rounds, we would report back to CDR White that "all is secure, the ship is darkened and the running lights are bright." He would respond and say "very well" and note the time that the rounds were made in the log for the Captain's review.

Captain Parsons is directly responsible for everything that goes on while the ship is under way. We are especially thankful to him because he is the one who believed that high school seniors could brave the rigors of an ocean research venture. We think he was right and we are thankful for this "sneak preview" at what life is like at sea on an oceanographic expedition. Captain Parsons was once a NOAA Corps officer-training instructor. NOAA Corps is the nation's smallest uniformed service. NOAA Corps officers give support to the many NOAA programs like flying the "hurricane hunter" aircraft and promoting environmental stewardship by protecting our ocean, coastal and living marine resources.

ENS Cathy Martin who is a Junior Officer of the bridge was a big help to us both in instruction and in getting us ready even before we came aboard. She coordinated our activities by assigning us to our duties and we are thankful for her help. To conclude, we have noticed that the seas have picked up to about 8' with occasional 10 footers making things a little bit tossy out here. Good thing we're on the Ronald Brown where we are safe and snug as can be as we continue our experiences as Students at Sea.