Captain Margaret “Mitzi” Crane. Click image for larger view.

The Atlantis Leaves Dock

July 31, 2004

Jeff Pollack
NOAA
Office of Ocean Exploration

I could tell by the sound of the swells slapping the hull and the increasingly deep roll of the ship that by 3 am we were well outside the J Buoy. The J Buoy -- named for the Morse code “J” signal that it transmits to nearby ships -- marks the dividing line between the semi-sheltered Straights of Juan de Fuca and the open waters of the northeastern Pacific Ocean.

The R/V Atlantis had left the dock at the University of Washington’s Oceanography Building at 2 am on July 30. We had steamed up Lake Union, through a lock and a series of draw-bridges, and into Puget Sound toward the Navy base at Manchester, Washington for refueling. (The fuel stop was arranged months in advance by a government fuel broker so we could avoid market fluctuations). Our nighttime departure was unusual, but the typical daylight departure time had been changed so the Atlantis could arrive at the fuel dock as early as possible. This would minimize the amount of mission time -- or “science time” -- we would lose during the fuel stop.

Captain Margaret “Mitzi” Crane explained that the nighttime navigation had been tricky; the lock and bridges were a tight squeeze for the Atlantis.
According to Captain Crane, the ship had to “tread water" for a hour within a mile of Navy docks as personnel there prepared for our arrival. Finally, the Navy crew was ready for us, but the other large vessels at the dock and the tidal influence made docking a precision operation, even in the morning light. It took over six hrs for the 300-ft Atlantis to top off with around 120,000 gals of fuel -- about half of its capacity -- but by early afternoon we were steaming away toward the J Buoy.

The Seattle skyline as seen from Puget Sound. Click image for larger view.

The snow-covered peaks of Vancouver, Canada. Click image for larger view.

Heading northwest at around 12 knots, we enjoyed a spectacular view of the Seattle skyline, Space Needle and all, on the ship's starboard side. By evening, the cityscape had given way to the rolling hills and distant snow-covered peaks of Vancouver, Canada. On our port side, we were treated to a clear view of towering Mt. Olympus across the Olympic Peninsula.

Scientist Naomi Ward reviews DSV Alvin dive procedures. Click image for larger view.

Nicolás Alvarado hits a winner at the ping pong table. Click image for larger view.

It will take nearly two full days of steaming to reach Denson Seamount, the southernmost of five seamounts in the Kodiak-Bowie chain we will explore during this mission. During that time, the explorers on the Atlantis will be hard at work: planning their dives, preparing scientific equipment, and playing ping pong. We are all looking forward to our first scheduled dive on Denson Seamount -- tomorrow.

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