20 February 1996

Photo Gallery - MV Oleander - Newark to Bermuda

This screen provides a quick view of some highlights of the Oleander Fam Float. A click on any of the images will provide a larger view.

The Ship

This view shows the MV Oleander docked in Hamilton Bermuda on November 6th, 1995 after the 2 day crossing from Newark. The tall white structure toward the stern of the ship is the accommodation stack and houses the crew cabins, galley, and lounges. The bridge at the top of the stack consists of the enclosed wheelhouse and the exterior bridge wings on either side. My cabin was two decks below the wheelhouse on the starboard side of the ship.

The Bridge - a ship's command center.

The wide bridge of the Oleander is shown here with Second Mate George in the helmsman's seat. The operating controls are seen just to George's left, the radar to his right and the ship's lighting controls, horns and other warning devices at the far right. The ship's speed is controlled not by varying the engine or shaft speed but by varying the pitch of the propeller. The ship's shaft turns at a fairly constant 550 rpms. Autopilot controls are at the far left of this picture.

Engine Room

Second Engineer Fred from British Columbia standing alongside one of the Caterpillar Auxiliary diesels. The main engine is an eight cylinder MAK engine supplying 5400 horse power for propulsion and electrical needs. Three engineering officers are aboard.

The Expendable Bathythermograph or XBT

NOAA meteorologist and Fam Floater Dick Williams on the Oleander's port bridge wing readying an XBT for launch. The actual probe is in Dick's left hand and connects by a hair-thin copper wire to the orange and black launcher. The instrument is tossed over the side and as it falls through the water a thermistor in the nose sends back a vertical temperature profile. The temperature data is saved to disk and once each hour sent by satellite back to the NMFS facility.

The CPR or Plankton Sampler - The FISH

The view on the left was taken on the lowest deck at the stern of the Oleander and shows the Fish being hauled back onboard after a successful 250 nm tow. The inner mechanism of the fish is shown at right with the silk fabric on the take up reel containing the plankton sample. The captured plankton are taken back to Narragansett for later examination under microscope to determine the types and concentrations along the tow. Both zooplankton and phytoplankton are captured the the health of the plankton population is an important factor in the health of the fisheries over the continental shelf.

Water Sampling

Water Samples were taken at each XBT launch. The samples were gathered to determine salinity and since the variations in salinity are small care was used to insure an accurate sample. The metal cylinder or bucket was rinsed several times and after the final rinse a the small bottle alongside the bucket was rinsed and filled. Each bottle had its own etched number to keep track of the samples. A chart in the Chart Room ( coming soon) section of this report will show the salinity values along the route. Only surface water is sampled on this cruise.

Bermuda

The view on the left shows the Oleander approaching the docks in the Hamilton. The white containers on the main deck are refrigerated boxes of food for the island's grocers. In the center we see an early morning scene along Hamilton's main street - before the business day has begun -- hence no mopeds, cycles or scooters in view. At the right a sea arch near Horseshoe Bay on Bermuda's south coast.

Homeward Bound

The return trip - Hamilton to Newark - found the Oleander driving into both higher winds and seas. This produced a more pronounced rolling and pitching motion and necessitated a reduction in speed and a change of course to take the waves at a more oblique angle. The rolling motion is shown in the photo on the left. On the right the ship is approaching the Verrazano Narrows bridge in New York harbor at the voyage's end on November 9th, 1995.

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