The Atlantis

If you'll recall from an earlier post, I had just driven back from Flagstaff, AZ and arrived in San Diego to help Shannon offload some science gear from the research vessel (R/V) Atlantis. She had been at sea several months earlier, doing research at the hydrothermal vents of the East Pacific Rise at 9 degrees North of the equator. Often in oceanographic work, you can't take all the gear you need with you, so you end up shipping it to the R/V ahead of your arrival. Then you unpack and assemble it once you're aboard. But then what to do when you disembark? Usually, you pack it back up and leave it on the ship. Then, when the ship puts into a suitable harbor, you either arrange for them to send you the crates, or you meet the ship and offload the gear yourself. Since both Shannon and the Atlantis were in San Diego, she opted for the latter.

Shannon's husband, Gavin, works on the Atlantis as part of the Deep Sea Operations Group - he's a pilot for the manned deep submergence vehicle, Alvin. They're quite a husband-wife team! Anyway, we met them at the ship to offload the stuff and have a look around. Pie Girl has only seen photos of this stuff, but I spent 28 days at sea in 2002 on a research cruise similar to the one Shannon completed a few months ago. It was fun to see it all again. Ah, memories.

Hey baby. Did you miss me?

View of San Diego Harbor from the 3rd level deck.

Here is a stock photo of Alvin and the Atlantis, its mother ship.

The orange bit is called the sail, and it leads to a 6' diameter sphere that houses the three crew: one pilot and two science complement.


This diagram is inaccurate in that a normal human can't really stand up inside the sphere. The positions adopted by the other two guys are pretty close to reality. Anyway, most of the rest of the space inside Alvin is consumed by batteries, ballast, electronics and hydraulics. Here are some additional specs on Alvin for those of you interested in building a duplicate in your basement.

Here we are inside the sphere, looking up through the sail hatch.

Here I am, assuming the role of pilot. Fire torpedoes!

Alvin has been involved in many exciting missions, from the discovery of life at hydrothermal vents to the exploration of the Titanic wreck. Alvin, the Atlantis, and their crews, have also been featured in a 1999 PBS Nova special and an IMAX movie. I'm just a soil scientist from the 2nd smallest state in the Union. So I feel very privileged, indeed, to have had the opportunity to work aboard the Atlantis with the dedicated people who make this type of research possible.

We accomplished our mission and transported Shannon's gear safely to the lab. After that it was Miller Time! It had been a long day for yours truly, and I was looking forward to a hot shower, a cold brew, and my own bed. All in a day's work for your friendly neighborhood Dirt Doc.