Sperm Whale Seismic Study (SWSS)

Cruise Preparations

Dr. Bill Lang
SWSS Project Coordinator

A Sperm Whale Seismic Study (SWSS) cruise takes months to plan and prepare. Let's say everyone has agreed upon what to do, where to do it, and when. The contracts are signed, the monies awarded, and the cruise plan is completed. Everyone shows up at the dock on the cruise date and off we go--well, not quite. Let's take a quick look at the last day before our ship, the Gyre, departs Galveston for the first leg of the 2005 SWSS Cruise.

It's June 2, 2005, and the Gyre is sitting at her home port dock at the Galveston, Texas A&M University campus. Her last cruise was to conduct deepwater benthic studies and now she is off to study sperm whales. Basically, if you compare this situation to a sports arena, yesterday was a basketball game and tonight is ice hockey. Considerable work must be done to change equipment, reconfigure deck space, and redo lab space for new uses.

The largest equipment unique to the SWSS study are two "whale boats" used to closely approach sperm whales for tagging, biopsies, and photo ID (tasks to be explained later). The R2 is shown here being delivered from storage. The 21' hull is made of aluminum, foam, and an inflatable apron - a rugged design that will help protect the researchers in rough weather or close encounter with a whale.

The stern working deck of Gyre was cleared several days ago and now has installed a special launching ramp for the R2, a cradle for a similar whale boat from Oregon State University, and two winches (black and blue cable) with hydrophone arrays.

By the end of the day, the whale boats are loaded and connections from the arrays to the acoustics room computers have been run and checked. Acoustic scientists and ship technicians have spent several days installing amplifiers, recorders, and computers in addition to getting the arrays and winches on board.

From the lower working deck, we go to the flying bridge, the highest deck on the Gyre above the bridge and captain's cabin. Here, Craig Hayslip and Rocio Cooley string steel cable for an extended awning to protect visual observers from long hours in the sun. The acoustics room and hydrophone arrays will be the ship's ears, the flying bridge will be its eyes.

Steel pedestals are bolted to the deck in carefully planned locations and yokes bolted to them. The final activity of the day takes several people and much effort to carry three 25 power binoculars to the flying bridge. Two visual team members, Lars Bejder and Suzanne Yin, carefully lift a "bigeyes" into place.

Before the Gyre departs, a final briefing is held ashore. Project Scientist Doug Biggs and Program Manager Ann Jochens field questions from research scientists and program administrators including Andy Wigton of the Industry Research Funders coalition, Deborah Epperson of MMS, and Tom Norris of SAIC.

Ann Jochens; Carol Rhoden; Rhoni Lahn; Deborah Epperson; Dan Engelhaupt; Suzanne Yin; Joel Ortega;
David Lundquist; Alyson Azzara; Craig Hayslip; Rocio Cooley; Aaron Thode; Eddie Webb; Sarah Heimlich;   
Glenn Gaily; Chris Wingard; Lars Bejder; Charlie Short;  Andy Szabo; Ladd Irvine                                                 

R/V GYRE
June 2, 2005

After final runs to the local discount mart, the science party assembles for an all hands safety briefing and group picture.

Slightly ahead of schedule on the evening of June 2, 2005, the R/V Gyre under the command of Captain Dana Dyer, departs Galveston for the 2005 SWSS cruise and the accounts to follow.