View from the Sea Hunter: Boston skyline

This week, I ventured down to the ship with Charlie Widdis to begin filming a documentary of Sub Sea Research and the Port Nicholson recovery effort. We are in the early stages, but we plan on releasing the documentary on this website so others can follow the project from their homes. It’s an exciting time aboard the M/V Sea Hunter, and we want to capture that thrill on camera. We will continue writing blogs and stories, but will include the video as a supplemental part of Shiprex.net. More info to come soon!

Morale on the ship is high right now. While winter means that the weather does not allow for frequent trips to the wreck site, the crew has been busy using the time to prepare. Captain Gary Esper showed us how he uses weather maps and charts to plot out the best time to travel out to the site, and he believes there will be another weather window soon. Though winter makes travel tougher, the crew is still ready to head out immediately. While we were there, we got a complete tour of the ROV that will be used in salvage efforts. The control room for this is quite impressive. The crew was busy welding and painting the anchors that will be used to steady the ship at the wreck site. It’s important for the ship to stay steady in the strong currents that the location is known for.

The crew worked together to trouble shoot and come up with back-up plans for the recovery. Everyone put forth an effort to brainstorm an idea, and as Admiral Greg Brooks said “No idea is too strange!” The whole point of these meetings is to find the best possible way to achieve the goal, and to consider what could happen if the idea does not work. It’s better to have multiple back-up plans than to go home empty handed when one fails.

During the meeting I sat in on, everyone had an upbeat attitude. Instead of statements like “if we get the treasure” I heard only “when we get the treasure”.

It’s exciting to be more involved in the process by getting to document it. I am excited for everyone to see the journey through our film. It is apparent how hard everyone onboard is working, and how many risks they are taking to see the project through to the end.