P-MAN XV Update #12 - A deep dive. Waiter, there's a bat in my soup! Challenge coins.

02 April 2013 (Full report by Casey Doyle!)

Stockbridge’s Last Day

Since I saw that my daily notes ended up in a previous update a few days ago, I decided that I needed to take a crack at writing the daily update so as to show that I’m capable of being more than just a pretty face for the team. And Flip could use the day off to recharge his humor battery. So here goes.

Today was dominated by the final day on the water for the Stockbridge Advanced Underwater Robotics team and their ROV. They have progressed by leaps and bounds in their technology and search procedures since last year and over the course of the last two weeks. Today we put all their skills to the test in deep water to search for a very promising target provided by Andy and Travis of the Scripps team. After the morning mission brief, we headed out to the boat, loaded up, and were off. There was a bit of pressure in the crowd on the boat between the students’ desire to end on a high note with the ROV as well as find out just what was this interesting target on the bottom of the sea floor.

Live streaming of the ROV’s cameras to the boat.

After arriving at the search area, the now well-seasoned students dropped the ROV in the water and the search was on. With minimal trouble, the ROV operators navigated their route underwater to a depth of 134 feet (a new record for Dingar!) and to the objects in question. When the ROV came upon a distinctive cross-like structure initially resembling a prop, everyone was excited. But through further scoping the object with the ROV’s cameras, we decided this was only some piping that had landed on the ocean floor in a curious manner. But the kids were not ready to give up by any means. So the search continued and out of the dark of the sea came a huge man-made object. Again, with the expert navigation of Bre, Jeremy, and Buck, it was soon determined that whatever this was, it was not an aircraft. The best guess is that it was a vent or stack from a bygone era of ships.

 
Partial view of the vent stack. Photo by Flip

The look of pure excitement on Derek and Pat’s faces
as they look on when the Stockbridge ROV finds
a very interesting target on the sea floor.

So the Stockbridge students had finally come full circle with their mission:

1. They have designed, built, tested, and proven a remotely operated underwater vehicle that could be fully functional at significant depths in the ocean on the other side of the world from Michigan.
2. They have been able to provide BentProp with a capability to view and explore targets of interest at ocean depths that are difficult or beyond the capability of recreational diving.

But there was one catch—literally: the ROV got snagged on the stack at about 130 feet. Someone would have to go out and get it. And at that depth, that is no common task. So like a baseball movie that needs to call up its all-star relief pitcher to finish the big game, Pat gave the nod to Flip and Joe to go down and get the ROV back to the surface. (Think of Ricky Vaughn in “Major League” without the awesome hair, but with the glasses.) Flip has been riding the pine for diving lately because of a bum knee. But Joe and Flip are probably the most experienced divers, so we needed the “A” team in the water. After an extensive safety discussion and a solid plan was developed for multiple safety stops on the ascent, the divers went into the water.

Joe leading the way down to the stuck Dingar. Photo by Flip

Within a couple of minutes, the ROV was free and ascending to the surface. Joe and Flip needed to take significantly longer to get to the top because of the planned safety stops. Derek and I kept over watch from the surface as stops were made at 90, 60, 30, and 15 feet. All the while, a decent-sized remora was trying to sniff Joe and Flip’s shorts like an underwater dog. It was all quite humorous from the surface, but I’m sure Joe and Flip were far more concerned with wondering what large shark the remora had hitched a ride with to get here???

Now where is the guy who brought this remora here? Foto by Phlip

All hands back on deck and safe, we left and headed over to another site termed “Dan’s Holy Grail”—a site near the Neco docks that Dan has wanted to search for years. The ROV and the students couldn’t find anything at that site, but it did provide a beautiful location and excuse for the Stockbridge students to get in one final swim and snorkel before leaving Palau.

BentProp’s version of a Before-And-After picture. Crack reporter Jimmie Olsen need only look to his left to see his future.

BentProp team members enjoy some refreshments at the Drop Off
while the students pack out their equipment for the trip back to Michigan.
Dan and Derek never pass up a chance to ham it up for the camera.

For their final meal on the island, the BentProp team and the Stockbridge students were off to the local eating experience known as Carp Restaurant (#1 item on the menu: Fruit Bat Soup!). We had two takers on the challenge this year, but many of the students partook of at least some of the bat meat.

It’s quite possible that the students have spent too much time with the BentProp crew.

Looking pretty positive about all this.

The Fruit Bat Soup is an annual ritual that never gets old.
Always the brave souls before hand, it’s a different story
when your soup is snarling back at you.

During the meal, the Stockbridge students honored the BentProp and remaining Scripps engineers (Andy and Travis) with some Certificates of Appreciation. The BentProp team, in turn, bestowed challenge coins and bandanas on the Dewitt and Stockbridge students. They once again have impressed us and supported the BentProp mission. Pat and Flip gave a dissertation on the meaning of military coins, what our coin means, and how to “coin” people.

The Stockbridge students honored the members of BentProp with some Certificates of Appreciation.

At a farewell dinner for the Stockbridge and Dewitt students,
challenge coins and bandannas were handed out in recognition of the extraordinary work
that these young people have brought to the mission of finding and returning MIAs.

Flip holds court to explain the rules and regulations of the BentProp challenge coin
and the etiquette of the “coining” process.

Two newly coined and hopefully returning members
of the Stockbridge Advanced Underwater Robotics team.

Handshakes, hugs, business cards, and contact information was exchanged and goodbyes were said all around. Derek is also leaving the team tonight to travel back home to his job in North Carolina. I suppose some Marines have to work for a living. Sucks to be him.

- Casey Doyle

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