You’re undoubtedly wondering what this title has to do with serving our seas. Actually, I’m trying to make a point: you don’t have to be a naval architect, shipwreck diver, shipbuilder, or anything related to the sea in order to serve it. In fact, my training is a foreign language education; specifically, I taught French and Spanish for 37 years.

Somehow, I mustered the courage to relearn the Italian language, learned from scratch naval architecture, and how to write autobiography, technical material, and interview sea survivors and scientists. To what do I attribute this?

PASSION– passion to share my survival story. As an extension of this, I’ve developed a passion to help others save, serve and enjoy one of the planet’s greatest assets: our oceans.

I think Helen Keller would approve of this blog post. (see preceding blog post about apathy, the opposite of passion.) If she were alive, she would  probably say, “Regardless of your training,  get on your lifeboat and row with passion!  The quality of your life is dependent on the quality of our seas.”

15 Famous Authors With Surprising College Majors

Here is the Writers in the Sky blogpost, published by a writer with metaphysical training, Yvonne Perry.
“You may have been told that it doesn’t really matter what you major in, because you may not ever get a job that pertains to your major. Case in point: These famous authors didn’t major in writing, or literature, or even journalism. Instead, they enriched their minds taking other, equally challenging classes, and used their experiences to become successful writers. In fact, several of them have won the Pulitzer Prize, considered one of the world’s greatest honors in literature.”

1. After growing up in several different Quaker communities as a child, Anne Tyler, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Accidental Tourist and Breathing Lessons, graduated from Duke at the young age of 19 and completed graduate work in Russian Studies at Columbia.

2. Larry Niven, author of “hard,” or extremely technical, science fiction novels set in the “Known Space” universe, is famed for his creation of the “Ringworld” concept. This is the idea of a band approximately the diameter of Earth’s orbit rotating around a star, and has been used in several other science fiction works, including the video game Halo. He has been a prolific writer since the 1960s but didn’t study writing in college. He was a mathematics major at Washburn University in Kansas and also did graduate work in math at UCLA.

3. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. majored in chemistry and engineering before being sent to fight in World War II. His experience as a POW in a German camp gave him the inspiration for Slaughterhouse-Five, his most famous work. His books and short stories included elements of science fiction and satire.

To read about other authors and their non-authorial training:

http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com/2010/08/15-famous-authors-with-surprising.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+WritersInTheSkyBlog+%28Writers+in+the+Sky+Blog%29

 As if the expedition more than 12,000 feet below the surface isn’t challenging enough, the dream team of Expedition Titanic must contend with Hurricane Earl on the surface. On the Waitt Institute blog it’s described as “The Waiting” as most of the scientists returned home for a week. Perhaps for some it’s “The Disappointment”. The blog post below gives an insider’s view of dashed expectations and keeping morale afloat.

The Waiting

1 September, 2010

The Jean Charcot rests comfortably back in her berth while the crew readies for the next leg. 

By Michael Dessner

Having your expedition cut short by weather is not a lot of fun. Aspirations that have been building for years are funneled into planning over months and months to pull all the necessary personnel and pieces of equipment together and the little details are astronomical in number. When it all comes together, it’s like a soufflé. Get the temperature wrong, add just a little bit too much of this or that, heck, look at it too hard and the thing will fall flat. When ya get it up and running the very last thing you want to do is shut it down for a week, no matter the reason. So many things can go wrong at that point. What if one of your key guys (and we have a few) has a scheduling conflict that cannot be avoided? The ship has a schedule and shoving everything back a couple weeks isn’t always a viable option. And then there’s the cost. 30 people flying home or spending a week in hotels? It ain’t hard to imagine the fiscal impact. I would say that Chris Davino, the president of RMS Titanic, has taken it in stride and with exceptional professionalism and aplomb. He has experience with water based operations from his early fishing days so he totally gets it and never once frowned at the reality of 2 hurricanes barreling down directly onto his meticulously planned project, but everything has a bottom line and his can’t help but be affected. Still, he didn’t miss a beat or hesitate. “Damn good job, do what ya gotta do and be back in a week” pretty well sums up his response to us regarding the situation. And that will happen with this mission, nobody wants to leave and watch it on TV. With few exceptions, everybody had to fight and scratch for a berth on the Jean Charcot; nobody is voluntarily giving one up, come hell or high water (which might fairly well describe your average hurricane).

To read the entire blog post: http://wid.waittinstitute.org/the-waiting

The dream team of Expedition Titanic is making a great effort to preserve a legacy– one that most of us will be able to enjoy virtually. The three-week long mission will reveal the debris field scanned by side scan sonar. It gives us a map (like the map of a city) of the gigantic ill-fated liner which sank off the coast of Newfoundland.

We will also come to understand the human tragedy of that tragic night in 1912. One example cited by the dream team is that first Officer William Murdoch did not commit suicide; rather, he was washed overboard attempting to launch a lifeboat.

The expedition is filled with challenges: a grueling 36 hour trip from the coast, hurricane weather, technological challenges, etc. But the team led by David Davino seems to be thrilled at every moment. In fact, two scientists who met on an expedition five years ago held a wedding ceremony on board the research vessel.

If only Leonardo and Kate would have had the same good fortune!

For  videos, mission, photos (even of a wedding on board), check out Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rmstitanicinc?v=wall

What are we willing to do about this? Write to our governments, use less fuel, invented a new technology? After reading the following article, I believe we’ll all be more willing to answer the question.

By JAD MOUAWAD and BARRY MEIER

Published: August 29, 2010

In a remote reach of the Gulf of Mexico, nearly 200 miles from shore, a floating oil platform thrusts its tentacles deep into the ocean like a giant steel octopus.

Two divers, one wearing the “Tritonia” ADS and the other standard diving dress, preparing to explore the wreck of the RMS Lusitania, 1935.

An atmospheric diving suit or ADS is a small one-man articulated submersible of anthropomorphic form which resembles a suit of armour, with elaborate pressure joints to allow articulation while maintaining an internal pressure of one atmosphere. The ADS can be used for very deep dives of up to 2300 feet (700m) for many hours, and eliminates the majority of physiological dangers associated with deep diving; the occupant need not decompress, there is no need for special gas mixtures, and there is no danger of decompression sickness or nitrogen narcosis. Divers do not even need to be skilled swimmers.

The ADS has variously been referred to as a Winnie the Pooh suit (because of its large head), armored diving skirt, articulated diving suit, Iron Duke, Iron Mike, and ‘deep-sea diving robot’. The term ‘atmospheric diving suit’ itself did not come into widespread use until the invention of the JIM suit in the early 1970s.

Atmospheric Diving Suits in current use include the Newt suit/Hardsuit, and the WASP, both of which are self-contained and incorporate propulsion units. The Newtsuit/Hardsuit is constructed from cast aluminum (forged aluminum in version constructed for the US Navy for submarine rescue), while the WASP is of glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) body tube construction. The upper hull is made from cast aluminum. The bottom dome is machined aluminum.

Dear Pierette,

 I’m still at sea. We thought the oil spill would slow things down, however,  it has had the opposite effect. Lots of work. Attached is a photo of the WASP suit good to a depth of 2300′. We just completed work on the Tahiti Spar. Too bad it wasn’t on the Island.

I researched the Tahiti Spar on http://www.offshore-technology.com/projects/tahiti/.

“Tahiti is located in the deepwater US Gulf of Mexico, approximately 190 miles (306km) south of New Orleans. It lies in Green Canyon blocks 596, 597, 640 and 641, in a water depth of approximately 4,200ft (1,280m). The field is operated by Chevron, which owns a 58% working interest, on behalf of Statoil (25%) and Total(17%).

The Phase-I development cost $2.7bn to Chevron. Crude oil production from the field began on 5 May 2009, with an estimated daily production of about 125,000 barrels of crude oil and 70 million ft³of natural gas by the end of 2009.

http://www.offshore-technology.com/projects/tahiti/”

For a picture of the WASP suit, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_diving_suit

Andy (12), Ardith (7) and I woke up when the Stockholm plowed into the side of their ship, just a few cabins forward from our cabin as we later learned. The sensation was what one might feel sitting in a row boat as it bumped several times against a dock. Andy instinctively slammed shut the porthole cover beside him, as he saw lights flash by. We were instantly aware that our cabin floor was tilting. My mind was sort of blank. I just knew that something very serious was wrong. I went to the row of four metal lockers, in the bottom of which the life jackets were stowed, and I yank them out, one after the other, throwing them on the floor and noting with alarm that they slid across the tilted floor toward the outer wall, as I did so.

Our steward was in the hall, calling “Signore, signori, andate fuori! Signore, signori, andate su!” Essentially, “Ladies and gentlemen, come out of your cabins and go up on deck.”  There seemed to be a smoky haze in the hall. (I believe now that it was exhaust from an engine that must have ruptured by the Stockholm). All I wanted to do was to get my kids and myself above deck. It didn’t occur to me to get dressed, although and he had the presence of mind to slip on his shorts. I put Ardith’s  life jacket on her over her slip, but I forgot to tie it. I sent her and Andy out in the hall to go above deck. Then, I had to awaken Donnie (10). A sound sleeper, he had slept through it all! I had to urge and urge him to come right away. I got his life jacket on him, but he was conservative and wanted to get dressed.

In retrospect, there would have been plenty of time for him to address. But all I knew then, the ship could sync with us trapped below deck. I urged him, “You have to come now. Your life may depend on it.”

Dr. Gallow emphasizes that this project  is not an exploration but a marine forensic examination to create the first deepwater archaeological site map. It will be done virtually and digitally using robots and sonars to create a model of the titanic ship–the one lost on its maiden voyage and only seen by its unfortunate travelers, designers, and builders. Finally, it will be available to a voracious public who can’t seem to satiate its appetite for the Titanic.

As for the man, who brought Titanic’s fame to the surface, will James Cameron be part of the investigation? My friend Bill Garzke,  Cameron’s consultant for the  movie Titanic and chairman of marine forensics for SNAME, explained:

        “The marine forensics investigation is not being conducted by Jim Cameron but one of our Committee members, P. H. Nargeolet who is leaving today from St. Johns, Newfoundland to map the Titanic wreck site. I have asked him to locate any parts of the main reciprocating engines.”

You’ll receive updates in future blogs.

I am fascinated by the fact that he and his company are were involved in capping the BP well in the Gulf.  Here is a company profile from Wikipedia

Oceaneering’s services and products are marketed worldwide to oil and gas companies, government agencies, and firms in the telecommunications, aerospace, and marine engineering and construction industries. Its business offerings include remotely operated vehicles, mobile offshore production systems, built-to-order specialty hardware, engineering and project management, subsea intervention and installation services, non-destructive testing and inspections, manned diving, and space suits. Oceaneering won a $745 million United States government contract in 2008 for the design and manufacture of space suits for future American lunar exploration.^[4]

The company’s stock is a component of the S&P 600 stock market index.

http://www.oceaneering.com/

The World’s Water
 
Published every two years by Island Press, The World’s Water provides both detailed analysis of the most significant trends and events and up-to-date data on water resources and their use. They are essential references for water resources specialists, resource economists, planners, students, and anyone concerned with water issues.

Several editions of The World’s Water can be found here:

http://www.worldwater.org/books.html