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George Silva
Captain R/V Atlantis |
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What are some of the discoveries the R/V Atlantis has been involved in? Student
Name: Kathleen
State: FL Country: USA
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I was talking to Dave Sims, SSSG Technician about your question. Here's what he had to say: "The R/V Atlantis has only been the support vessel of Alvin since 1997. Since that time, Atlantis has been part of many discoveries, including an impressive site on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge called the Lost City. At this site, calcium carbonate pillars were found, some as high as 30 m! All in all it was an amazing find. Another interesting discovery was when we traveled back to the site where hydrothermal vents were originally discovered, near the Galapagos Islands. Despite detailed maps and careful searching, we found nothing but what appeared to be fresh lava - there were no hydrothermal vent sites. Some scientists believe that recent volcanic activity had covered up the vent sites. Others believe that we just didn't find the vent sites. If they were in fact covered by new lava, that's a pretty interesting find." |
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Have you ever went on a dive in the Alvin? Student
Name: Rhett
State: ID Country: USA
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Yes, just this past February. It was awesome!!! |
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How long have you been Captain of the R/V Atlantis? Student
Name: Matt
State: ME Country: USA
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I have been the Captain on the Atlantis for about 6 years. |
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How often is the Atlantis repaired? Student
Name: Mrs. Pierson's 3rd Hour Class
State: WI Country: USA
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A ship is kind of like a car and needs to be repaired from time to time. We are required to go to a shipyard every two and a half years for a dry-dock which is when the ship is taken out of the water. |
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What did you have to do to become a Captain? Student
Name: Shannon
State: MD Country: USA
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It's a long road to becoming a Captain. You have to start at the bottom and work your way up. You need lots of training and experience and you have to take a lot of tests. The U.S. Coast Guard regulates testing and licensing. |
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Where does your fresh water supply come from for the R/V Atlantis? Do you take seawater and remove the salt? Or do you bring the supply of fresh water from shore with you? Student
Name: Eddie
State: MO Country: USA
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Sometimes we load or "take on" fresh water when we are at the dock. On a ship we call it "potable water" which is the same thing. When that water runs out then we have to make our own potable water out of sea water by taking the salt out. There are two ways to do this. One is with an "evaporator" and the other is with "reverse osmosis". We use a lot of fresh water at sea for showers, laundry and cooking. It is not always a good idea to take on fresh water when we are in some foreign ports because the water is not healthy. |
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How does the Alvin communicate with the Atlantis? Student
Name: Lorena
State: CA Country: USA
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See Craig Cary's answer to #4408! |
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About how fast does the Atlantis go? Student
Name: Alexandria
State: CA Country: USA
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The Atlantis cruises at about 11.5 knots in good weather when the seas are not rough. |
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What are your responsibilities as Captain of R/V Atlantis? Student
Name: April
State: NY Country: USA
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There are many responsibilities as Captain. My biggest responsibility is to keep the ship and everyone on it safe. |
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In the last video (the silent one), we saw something called a "Tubeworm Pillar." Is this pillar actually made of tubeworms or is it just a another name for hydrothermal vents? Student
Name: Steph, SMA's Class
State: PA Country: USA
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I thought Mike League might be able to better answer your question. Here's Mike, "Well, in truth, I'm not 100% sure I know the answer either. However, you are likely looking at a vent site that is named Tubeworm Pillar. According to Horst Felbeck, Tubeworm Pillar was originally named for the large numbers of tubeworms that populated it. However, the site actually had a large die-back of the tubeworms and so depending on when the video was taken, you may not be able to see any tubeworms. These changes occur often at vent sites, and when conditions change, the organisms that live there may not be able to survive. However, since the scientists have been calling it Tubeworm Pillar, the name needs to remain so that everyone knows which site they're talking about." |
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What is the biggest setback that you have encountered during an expedition? Student
Name: Sean
State: CT Country: USA
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One time a couple of years ago, one of the Alvin viewing ports was damaged and we could not use Alvin. |
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How long have you been working at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)? Student
Name: David
State: WA Country: USA
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I have been working at WHOI for 9 years. |
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