Captain's Blog 2/2/13

We moored in Montego Bay this morning. The island is a beautiful lush tropical place. Our transition into the country was relatively easy when dealing with the customs, immigration and quarantine officials. We look forward to exploring this new port.

Of course with any new place, there are significant unknowns. We spent at least an hour discussing with the ship's agent the challenges that can be faced by the cadets and crew while ashore. The usual issues - powerful rum drinks, people selling drugs, and the occasional rip-off person. These are not unusual for ports of this nature, our cadets have been briefed on the topics time and again. We hope they were listening.

I'll be off today myself to take in the local sites - the Hip Strip in Montego Bay may be a place I'll visit in the daytime, but leave the night life to the younger folks aboard.

FTV 2/2/2013 Emergency Management Classroom

It was my first day with the Emergency Management group! Our class began with introductions: Dr. Jop is EM's Sea Term instructor. Back at the Academy, he teaches classes like Human Health and Risk, Toxicology, Hazardous Materials, and International Terrorism.

The EM Training Rates are Kim Courcy, the Emergency Management Operations Officer. Arthur Patsios is and Larry Tagger are Emergency Management Training Rate. (Larry says hi to his Mom, Haley Gaburel) Larry's plans for the future include working for the Center for Disease Control. The group explained the Fundamentals of Emergency Management and how their internships coincide with the major.

Bridge Collapse Problem studied by EM  4/C Cadets

In this class students work on solving the problems that society faces when disaster strikes. Students discuss how to deal with disasters from infectious agents, severe weather, piracy and terrorism, and environmental spills. In today's class students watched a film about a Bridge Collapse and then worked in teams to decide how best to respond to a disaster of this type, and what steps need to be taken to respond to the community that was impacted by the event.

Some students like Larry and Kim are EMTs at Mass Maritime. Their MMA courses prepared them to pass the exam and become licensed  They have passed their Emergency Medical Services training (now available at MMA) and participate in medical services for the school. In comforting to know that responders are so close in case of an emergency.

~Alicia

Can you come up with a plan to rescue Rover?
Investigate the types of disasters that Emergency Management Professionals respond to in their daily work.
This activity demonstrates how engineers manage emergencies to keep citizens safe during hurricanes.
Read about how the Army Corp of Engineers Manage Emergencies

Captain's Blog 2/1/13

We found the Caribbean heat south of Hispaniola. Not a cloud in the sky with light wind from the east. Our speed of 10 knots equals the breeze, making our stack gases rise vertically - it feels like 100 degrees out there in the blazing sun.

Today is exam day one. All cadets will experience some form of examination - most classrooms and lab spaces are occupied. You can tell when they switch from one 4/C section to another because they meander up to the Helo Deck to grab some sun. But the bridge and engine room are lonely as the cadets may leave watch for their exams. Kind of a tease as this afternoon most exams are completed, watches and maintenance will resume, and of course all cadets will be preparing for the pre-port Captain's inspection at 1900 this evening.

Tomorrow morning at 0800 we'll arrive at Montego Bay in Jamaica, discovered by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World in 1494 - and (according to Admiral Gurnon) the island nation was last discovered by Mass Maritime 61 years ago. That sounds about right, as political turmoil in the fifties and sixties were a prelude to when drug dominance began in the sixties - which clearly influenced port selection. I know since I've been at the Academy we often mention the island, but only the last few years have the ports of Rio Ochos and Montego Bay added more piers, which has given us the opportunity to moor for our required three days.

So, our third port, before I know it we'll be underway again off on an eight day island tour before we call at Aruba.

FTV 2/1/2013 Boat Drills

Boat drills are a significant part of our semester at sea training. These boat drills ensure the cadets' safety as well as prepare us for the "worst case scenarios" that could happen aboard a vessel. It takes cooperation and attentiveness in order for these boat drills to be a success. Before we were able to leave Buzzards Bay, we had to pass a Coast Guard inspection of our performance during a boat drill. These drills are taken very seriously for both competence of life at sea and safety.

There are four types of emergency situations that that could happen while out at sea. They are: Fire and Emergency; The first one occurs when there is a fire aboard the ship and the Cadet Fire Party has to take action. The second type of boat drill is an Abandon Ship; when the emergency (either a fire or the ship capsizing) was not able to be resolved and everyone must enter the life boats and abandon the ship. Next is the Man Overboard call; when someone has fallen into the ocean. The person that witnessed the man overboard or anyone who can see the person in the water is must to point at the victim and yell "MAN OVERBOARD! MAN OVERBOARD!" until someone else is able to retrieve a life ring and throw it out to the victim. The fourth drill is a Security Alert or Breach. This is called when when someone who is not authorized to be on the Kennedy has invaded the ship and could pose a threat to us.

Each of these different emergencies have their very own "signature" pattern on the ships whistle and general alarm. The PA system also gives a brief announcement to ensure that there is no confusion. For the first three drills, once you hear the whistle, you must make your way to your pre-assigned lifeboat, with your lifejacket, any your billet card for a muster. Your billet card clearly states where you should be and whether your Division has any special duties to carry out. For example is my division is marked "Providing", and we have a Fire and Emergency drill, I muster at DC LOCKER #4 instead of my lifeboat# 8.

In the case of a Security Alert or Breach Drill, we do not muster at all, we immediately return to our holds (beds), lock the door, and remain silent. These clearly outlined procedures for drills combined with the billet card written instructions may seem strict, but they are well worth it. We practice a drill once every week to ensure that we are capable of making it trough a real emergency.

Try these challenges:
Rescue Response
Build a Lifeboat
Design a Life Vest
Tour a Life Boat

Captain's Blog 1/31/13

Our departure from San Juan today has taken a planned yet unpredictable turn. We needed to load ship's fuel - called bunkers (and term not-so-evolved since ship's loaded coal be shovels) - about this time. In most ports today the bunkers are brought to the ship by tug and barge, so where you moor is not too important. Since loading bunkers is a critical engineering function, we try to plan it to occur during a maintenance day so more cadets can be involved, than if we did it during a port day when most cadets are on liberty.

But the twist was we had to leave the dock in the wee hours of the morning because of a pier conflict - you might recall I mentioned that when we switched ports from Nassau. So for most of the ship's complement - they went to sleep alongside the dock, but woke up to see the ship at anchor. We sailed from the dock at 0200, and were safety anchored across the harbor by 0245. Kind of an interrupted night of sleep, but that's the brakes of working aboard ship.

We will load about 750 metric tons of fuel - which is about the amount we have burned since we departed Buzzards Bay. Departing with a full tank, we will be at about 50% when we get back. I don't even want to think about how much money it costs! But that is the cost of this very important evolution to the students of MMA.

The weather in San Juan continues to be unpredictable - with occasional showers that interrupt extremely warm sunny days. We'll be underway this afternoon and head for Montego Bay in Jamaica. That is a new port for me - and for most of the ship's crew.

FTV 1/31/2013 Bunkering outside of Puerto Rico

T.S. Kennedy was at a standstill. We needed to fuel up, so the deckies worked on anchoring the ship so the bunkering process could take place. "Bunkering" is the process of taking on fuel. We were just outside of our port at San Juan. During the bunkering process a barge, that has fuel in it, comes up to the ship. They send up hoses, approximately six inches in diameter, and hook it up to a manifold that leads into our fuel tank.

The fuel we take on is heavy fuel; very black and as thick as molasses. In order to pump it up into our tank, it has to be heated up to 110 degrees; this way it flows more easily. If the heaters in the barge weren't working, it could take a very long time to get the fuel to move. So, if a situation like that happened in cooler water, the fuel might not have been able to flow at the necessary rate to get our voyage back on the move. The marine engineering cadets had a big part in the bunkering process.

They would take tank soundings by dropping a measuring tape into the tank in order to determine how much liquid is in the tank. The other measurement they use is to determine how much air is in the tank (instead of checking the amount of liquid) where they drop a little cone attached to a string into the sounding (pipe that leads to the fuel tank). Taking both of these measurements allows them to ensure that we take on the right amount of fuel and prevent overflow. The engineers have to keep "sounding" the tank every so often. They also take fuel samples to make sure that the fuel we take on is good quality fuel. They are also constantly checking for leaks, just in case. When we are bunkering, there is absolutely no "hot works" (smoking, welding, etc.) allowed! The process went very well. It took approximately nine hours for the fueling to be complete.

After taking on our pilot at 1800. We are now on our way to our next port! Exams are coming up, and then liberty in Montego Bay!

Why does the temperature of the fuel matter? Because liquid particles can move past each other, they can flow. This is very important when transporting liquids from one place to another through pipes or water ways. VISCOSITY is a measure of the resistance of a liquid to flowing. The viscosity of a liquid increases as the temperature of a liquid decreases. This means that the colder the liquid the more difficult it is for the liquid to flow. In the diagram, the chilled red liquid is flowing very slowly. It flow is so slow that the liquid is moving out of the glass like a thick blob of ketchup. The viscosity of a liquid decreases as the temperature increases. This means that the warmer the liquid, the faster a liquid can flow. As the viscosity of a liquid increases, the thicker is the liquid and the more sluggish is it ability to flow.

Try these activities
Comparing the viscosity of oils 
Behavoir of fluids
Is it a liquid or a solid?

FTV 1/30/2013 The Old Forts of Puerto Rico

For my last day of liberty in Puerto Rico, I really wanted to spend some time exploring. My friends and I got on one of the open trolleys and made our way to the San Juan National Historic Site. This site revolves around the massive fortification system. It was referred to as the "Defense in Depth" system and fortifies the San Juan Islet with three lines of defense.

We visited one of the major fortifications near the third line of defense. Castillo San Cristobal took 150 years to build and was intended to protect El Morro (the larger of the two major forts) and the city from attacks via land. There are three levels in the fort: first is the Main Plaza on the lowest level; the second level held the Main Firing Battery; the third level (highest level) is the Observation Area. We entered the Main Plaza through a tunnel and were able to admire the architecture and historic artifacts that reside in the fort. A steep ramp guided us up to the Observation Area where the view was breathtaking. We were able to see all of San Juan, and even had the perfect site of the T.S. Kennedy at the port.

Castillo San Cristobal

The fort was half surrounded by ocean, half by dry moats and San Juan. You could see everything from that Observation Area. In 1493, Columbus sets his sights on Puerto Rico during his second voyage. In 1508, Juan Ponce de Leon began the Spanish Colony. The fortification systems were designed to help control the lands around the Caribbean, under Ponce de Leon. Reading into the history a little more, Puerto Rico and its fortification system was such a great way to control the Caribbean due to the fact that it is the barrier of trade from Mexico, Central, and South America.
The fort that I visited (Castillo San Cristobal) was under construction in 1634 due to attacks from the English and the Dutch. In 1898, Puerto Rico became U.S. Territory. It was a great morning at the forts and by the afternoon, we were ready to head back to the beach! Isla Verde welcomed us with a beautiful rainbow from the shower earlier in the day. We stopped at the local grille for some delicious seafood Empanadas and eventually made our way back to the ship.

 El Morro

Everyone had to be back on the ship at 2300 in order to be accounted for in the computer system and ready for the manual sailing muster at 0000 (midnight). It wasn't long, but it was necessary to ensure that all of the cadets and crew were present and accounted for to leave the port. Tomorrow, we will be heading to Jamaica!

You can take a virtual tour of the two forts Alicia visited.
Here are some fun activities to try.

FTV1/29/2013 San Juan Puerto Rico

We finally made it to some warm weather! The seas were, once again, quite angry. It felt like a roller coaster ride while trying to sleep. I wasn't on inside cleaning this time, which made the rough seas seem not so bad. After a long night of extreme rocking and rolling, the T.S. Kennedy made it into port. It was kind of funny to see our little training ship roped up next to a huge Carnival Cruise Ship.

San Juan, Puerto Rico is absolutely gorgeous. As I walked the cobblestone streets, I was able to admire the colorful 17th and 18th century buildings that line the hilly landscape. I spent the morning taking in San Juan's cultural aura and looking in the little shops. Instead of heading directly for the Starbucks, I found this quaint little coffee shop where I got the most delicious fresh fruit smoothie! I took a short trolley ride just to catch some sights of where I could plan to go on my next day of liberty. The trolley passed many historic monuments and cultural memorials.The locals were very welcoming.

It was about time that I made my way to the beach. Finally! I took a taxi (with friends, we never travel alone in port) to a great beach called Isla Verde. This beach separates the ocean from the vacation resorts in a less rural area of the island. The aqua-blue waves were great, the sand was warm, and the sun was hot! Cadets took advantage of jet ski rentals and para-sailing. It was just a wonderful day. I plan on going back to Isla Verde to get some more sun and pictures!

Learn about how parasails fly 

Our beautiful sea coasts
How do islands like Puerto Rico form?
Keeping our beaches clean.
Save our beaches.

FTV 1/28/2013 Caribbean National Forest

 From Mt. Britton, the forest seems to stretch forever. However, very little is left of the magnificent forests that once covered the island of Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, Puerto Rican forests have been subjected to over use and abuse. With increasing population, the forests were cleared to make way for human settlements, farms, coffee plantations, and other agricultural crops. By early 1900s, probably 85 percent of the original forests were gone.




The Caribbean National Forest contains land that was part of the original forest reserves set aside by the Spanish in 1876. It includes the largest block of undisturbed forest on the island. he Caribbean National Forest is the oldest forest reserve in the National Forest System and has been under some form of management for more than 100 years.

Water is the unifying element and the determining factor for the characteristics of the forest. Over 200 inches of rain, or about 100 billion gallons, fall every year. Eight major rivers have their beginnings in the Caribbean National Forest and provide water and hydroelectric power for towns and rural areas in eastern Puerto Rico. Today critical watersheds, peaks, ridges, and steep slopes are off limits to timber harvesting. As a result, filtered by vegetation, these are some of the purest waters found on the island.

The entire forest is  a wildlife refuge. It has 68 species of native birds, many migratory birds, and numerous reptiles and amphibians. At night, the rain forest resounds with a loud chorus that may include 16 different species of miniature tree frogs -- the beloved coquís of Puerto Rico. The only native mammals are bats.

Motillo (Sloanea berteriana)

The Caribbean National Forest has 225 different species of trees and a highly diverse plant community typical of tropical rain forests around the world. The Motillo , has large buttress roots, typical of many rain forest trees. Such roots help support the heavy canopy of large trees growing in very wet soil. The forest floor is only scarcely vegetated, but the forest canopy is rich with aerial plants: bromeliads, orchids, vines, and arboreal ferns. In addition, Fern trees are among the most beautiful and fascinating plants of tropical forests. These small, evergreen trees have slender trunks and feathery, lacy leaves called fronds. The Carib Indians used the hollow stems to carry and preserve fire. Now these stems are cut for use as planters for orchids and bromeliads or for potting material. Fern trees are also used in home and commercial gardens. The Palo Colorado is a very large tree that may live to be 1,000 years old. Its name comes from its reddish bark, which splits off in thin plates or scales. Large, old Palo Colorado trees are important nest trees for the Puerto Rican Parrot.

Together, the International Institute of Tropical Forestry and the Caribbean National Forest have applied sound forest management principles in Tropical America. Today, plantation forests look so much like native forests that few people can tell them apart. Researchers at the National Park were the first to report decrease in the Puerto Rican Parrot population in the National Forest. Subsequently, a monitoring and research program was begun, and the parrot was given protection under the Endangered Species Act. Over the years, the captive flock has continued to increase, giving hope that the wild population can eventually be reestablished.

Here are some rainforest words to know.
Explore the diversity of rainforest organisms
Can it Be Real?
Tropical Forest Food Chain Challenge
This activity talks about the rain in the rainforest

Captain's Blog 1/28/13

Today's Captain's Blog is written by Captain Brad Lima, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and a licensed Chief Engineer.

During the day the ship has maintenance occurring from bow to stern. The steel hull and superstructure require constant monitoring for rust and small sections are identified each day to be prepped for repainting. The cadets wear a mixture of protective gear including hard hats, goggles, gloves, hearing protection and when necessary, a harness should the cadet be working on staging. The upper class cadets are typically supervising the maintenance making sure that proper and safe practices are taking place.

One maintenance evolution which occurred in the engine room yesterday was when forward house air conditioning system developed a leak and needed to be shut down for repair. Under the supervision of the first engineer, the system's refrigerant was pumped out then transferred to a stand-by machine to go on line. Many valves had to be opened and closed and special tools were required to make the transfer. The whole evolution took one hour and the second machine was placed in service. You can teach this process in the classroom but first-hand experience reinforces what is taught in the classroom.

Daily engine room maintenance evolutions include blowing tubes where high pressure steam is sent through long pipes called soot blowers to blow the soot off the tubes. Soot collections on the boiler tubes retards heat transfer and reduce combustion efficiency. Even this evolution requires coordination between bridge and engine room. The ship must be slowed down slightly due the steam necessary for the soot blowing operation and the ship may have to alter its course to allow the wind to blow the over the side rather than collecting on deck. This evolution takes about an hour and is very systematic where the soot blowers are activated in specific sequence.

My time on the Kennedy is coming to a close as we arrive in Puerto Rico. Technology advances have significantly changed how we train our cadets and how a ship is operated as compared to when I was a cadet along with classmate Captain Bushy. But one thing which has not changed is that being aboard a ship forces shipmates to talk face to face and share stories (some more unbelievable than others) resulting in a sense of belonging to something truly unique and special.

Regards,
Captain Brad Lima

Captain's Blog 1/27/13

We made it to San Juan on time. It was a little frustrating because our speed of advance had to be higher than normal as the scheduled time from New Orleans to Nassau was set up for our normal 15 knot cruising speed. From South West Pass in Louisiana we needed 17.1 knots, but once we hit the Straits of Florida and the head current of the North Atlantic Current we were knocked back to 16 knots, so we needed to add more speed. Even the higher speed was touch and go as the currents and the wind were working against us - but we made it to the pilot station only five minutes late!

The last eight hours were rough as we had a pretty good roll going - and it was inconsistent, not predictable. So I, along with many others aboard, had some trouble sleeping. An uncomfortable sleep, coupled with being called at 0400 makes for a long day.

But with Finished with Engines (FWE) at 0800, we had crew streaming down the gangway at 0830 - and by 0900 most all the cadets deserving of liberty were on their way. I hope they enjoy San Juan - it has beautiful beaches, and Old San Juan has many fine restaurants to enjoy. Of course the site-seeing in Morro Castle, the oldest fort in North America is always an enjoyable take.

Captain Lima has written one more Captain's Log - but I will save it for tomorrow morning - as I needed to update you all on topical ships information. That will be posted tomorrow.

1/27/2013 The Strait of Florida and the Gulf Stream

To travel to San Juan from New Orleans we pass through the Florida straits which is a channel between Florida and the Bahamas. The Florida straights are home to an open-ocean current called the Florida Current. The Florida current can be considered the "official" beginning of the Gulf Stream System.

 An ocean current is like a river in the ocean: water is flowing – traveling – from place to place. Modern ships are powerful enough to go against most ocean currents, but doing so costs time and fuel (e.g., oil = money), so knowledge of ocean currents is  very important. In addition, ocean currents are studied because they carry things in the water from place to place in the ocean, like ocean pollution.Ocean currents also carry warm and cold water from place to place, and can have a significant impact on a region’s climate. Not only do they transport organisms – particularly their larvae (babies who are plankton) – from place to place, but they also can bring up nutrients from deep in the ocean.

The first major ocean current to be measured and charted was the Gulf Stream, the northward-flowing, warm current off the east coast of the United States. As we noted earlier, a current is like a river (a stream) and it comes from the Gulf of Mexico, hence the name “Gulf Stream.” Benjamin Franklin was the first person to accurately measure the Gulf Stream. He could tell whether his ship was in it or not, because the waters of the Gulf Stream are unusually warm because they come from the Equator where the water is warm. As a result of his work produced the first accurate map of the Gulf Stream, which helped ships cross the ocean much faster in both directions.

CURRENTS AND CLIMATE
Warm currents typically warm the air above them, and cold currents typically cool the air above them. In addition, warm water evaporates more easily than cold water, United States is more humid and gets more rain than the southwest coast of the United States, because they live next to the warm Gulf Stream If you look at a map of the world, you may notice that Boston,Massachusetts, is at the same latitude as Spain (In other words, both places are the same distance from the Equator.). However, they clearly do not have the same climate:as the Pilgrims could tell you, Massachusetts is colder than Spain. Similarly, England is at the same latitude as Northern Canada. (England is a lot warmer than Northern Canada.) These differences in climate are related to the ocean currents. Florida is surrounded by the warm water of the Gulf on one side and the Gulf Stream on the other, making it very warm and humid.This warm water and the Gulf Stream also help fuel hurricanes, keeping them powerful and sometimes even giving them a boost before they strike land.

Try this activity to learn more about ocean currents

Learn more about different types of currents
Here is more about the Gulf Stream