September 19, 2014
At about 01:42 the night shift had successfully started a
burn on a WHOI OBS located at the start of line 2. A burn means that the
science crew was able to communicate with the device and send a signal telling it
to burn through the wire holding the buoyant OBS to a metal weight attach to
its bottom. The water depth in this area is around 5200 m, and it took about an
hour and half for the OBS to rise to the surface once detached from the weight.
The team located the OBS using a radio signal and visual contact (light and
flag). With the OBS spotted, the Chief mate Shanna was able to maneuver the
boat alongside the OBS, so that the science crew could snag it out of the water
and bring it aboard. Since then we have recovered six OBS from both the WHOI
and Scripps science crew. The seas have picked up a bit, but we are continuing
to move westward along line 2 collecting the devices. From here we will prepare
the OBS for redeployment along line 4.
See you later,
Kate Volk aboard the R/V Endeavor
