The marine and Alvin team

A research expedition does not happen without the continuous hard work of the marine crew and technical operations team onboard.

The science team and objectives change with every research expedition on the R/V Atlantis, but a constant on board are the hard working crew and team running the ship and the Alvin submersible. They may spend months at sea keeping the ship running, enabling scientists to achieve all their goals. We’re incredibly grateful for all of their efforts and this expedition would not be possible without them. So let’s meet them:

All marine crew on R/V Atlantis expedition AT50_09

Meet the marine crew of the R/V Atlantis led by our Captain, Joey. The crew is made up of Chief Mate (Eric), Second Mate (Kenny), Third Mate (Patrick), Bosun (Ed), Chief Engineer (Alex), ABs (Lance, Mike and Rosel), OSs (Kolton and Alex), Engineers (Chris, Brian and Lucy), Oilers (Amin, Ryan, Dave, Tim), Electronics (Josh), Cook (Mark), Steward (Brian), our Mess Attendant (Vong), and SSSG – Shipboard Scientific Support Group (Allison and Sonia).

We’re thoroughly enjoying getting to know them all during our operations, but most of the crossover and chance to get acquainted comes during meal times. All the science team, marine crew, and Alvin technicians eat together in the mess. However, there are some night owls in the crew who are harder to track down as they’ll be catching some well-earned sleep during daytime operations!

The HOV Alvin operations team (one member was actively being a pilot on the seafloor during this picture!)

None of our seafloor exploration would be possible without Alvin, and Alvin operations would not be possible without the pilots, engineers and technicians who keep the submersible in perfect shape to dive as part of the WHOI Deep Submergence Group. They are working for several hours before, during, and after every single dive, so it is not an easy operation.

The Alvin team are lead by our Expedition Leader, Randy. The rest of team is made up of our pilots (Bruce, Rick and Nick) and Alvin technicians (Kaitlyn, John, Matt, Benen and Joe). The science team are already learning so much from them, and they have always been available to answer questions, no matter how big or small.

Bridge and navigation team of the R/V Atlantis

And of course we would be going nowhere, literally, without the continuous watch and navigation of our bridge team (from L to R above): Captain Joey, Chief Mate Eric, Able-Bodied Seaman (AB) Lance, Second Mate Kenny, and Third Mate Patrick. They will be keeping us sailing smooth through the equatorial waters of the Galápagos Platform.

Thank you to every one of this hard working crew!