Technical Difficulties

Location: Transiting over Adak Canyon

Posted 07.29.04 at 8:16 pm

We had a bit of a delay in science work last night, when Jason II went out of order due to a sheared-off linch pin in the cable’s winch assembly. The problem sent a large metal disk shooting across the engine room, which made a thud you could hear throughout the ship. No one was in harm’s way.

The problem kinked Jason’s fiber optic cable (its “lifeline"), so video-related operations had to stop until the vehicle was working again. It’s the first time this particular problem has come up, said Capt. Dave Murline, who had originally predicted a delay of up to 24 hours. The scientists were unruffled; as Fish & Game scientist Doug Woodby said, delays are so common on research cruises as to be routine. In fact, the crew had Jason II back in working order in just a few hours.

Our next dive site will be south of Kanaga Island.