Earth Day dock cleanup and antenna riggers

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Divers getting ready to enter the water near the dock. There are several tires and ship railings on the bottom to be removed on this Earth Day April 22nd.

Hauling trash out of the sea.

Not all of it was trash though. The Antarctic is full of marine life that inhabits the 34 degree f water. 

Another beautiful Antarctic sunset is developing.

Life on old ship railings.

Snails.

A fine job by all.

Group picture credit to Karen Young. I'm in the middle back row with a lime colored t-shirt showing.

The sunset reflecting off the continent's mountains about 15 miles away. Palmer Station is situated on Anvers Island.

Antenna riggers are here to replace a few damaged radome panels on the Earth Station which houses the 16 foot main communications antenna.

This panel is unbolted then pushed out and lowered to the ground by rope.

A happy crew.

Our antenna does not move and is pointed to Intelsat - 23 satellite. Our end terminal is near Malibu, California. From there communications travel to headquarters in Denver, Colorado. Here I removed a section of waveguide in order to physically move the antenna. 

I move the antenna azimuth by drill. The position depends on where the riggers want to erect the scaffolding.

After the new panels are in place and bolted one of the riggers climbs on top of the dome to caulk it in.

I'm glad this isn't my job.

There are two Mikes on station. I am called Mic Mike. Mic is short for microphone since I am the station communications engineer. This is pronounced "Mike Mike." Galley And Scullery Help (GASH) is an old navy term for cleaning the scullery after meals. Six people spend about an hour each night cleaning after dinner. Mini-GASH is about 30 minutes after breakfast and lunch.

A very cozy seating area of the galley. Yes, that's a real wood fire! The Lawrence M. Gould is seen at dock through the windows of this 2nd floor galley and office area. The dorm rooms are on the 3rd floor.

A beautiful Humpback whale above the fireplace. The Antarctic is a favored cruising ground for these magnificent creatures.

On the other side of this is a wall full of maps and travels books. People who work in Antarctica are world travelers during their off-season.

Another job of mine is to maintain all the station's radios. These are in the Very High Frequency (VHF) shack. 

An outside view.

This is the VHF tower that contains many different antennas. 

A reflective sunrise to the southwest.

The antenna riggers have several days work on this tower.

The morning sun reflecting off the continents coastal mountains to the south. 

Two on the tower. Another job that I'm glad I don't have. 

A tough day for these dangerous Leopard seals with their reptilian heads seen floating by the station. Before divers enter the water they search the general area for these seals. If they spot one the divers change their location. They also have an audible warning device. If the dive tenders, which is a very fun job, spot one while the divers are in the water they lower this device and sound an alarm. It is a warning to surface and leave the area. 

Dive Tender

When available I am a dive tender that motors the divers where they want to dive and helps them get into and out of the water. Here two of the divers are getting the Zodiac ready.

Launching the Zodiac.

Chuck and his group work out of the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a science project collecting and studying marine life.. 

A fine iceberg.

Divers getting ready. All on the boat are divers for the science investigation. When not diving they investigate their findings and teach at UAB.

Castle Iceberg.

Back onboard. The dry suits keep them dry but not warm in the 34 degree f degree water.

The boat house on the left and dive house on the right.

The Lawrence M. Gould returning. They are "fishing" for three weeks in the local waters. They return occasionally to deliver their catch for the station's aquariums.

The fine bow line team.

Freshies being delivered.

Lisa delivering the freshies up to the galley deck with her Skytrack. 

Everyone available moves them into the cooler.

Milk and juices.

Another job is maintaining the station's Automatic Identification System (AIS) that is used by all of Palmer's boats to identify them and their location. The general boating area is enclosed in red. The Lawrence M. Gould icon can be seen at Palmer on the map. Almost all ships and many smaller boats in the world use AIS.

Another visit by the Gould. 

A blue lagoon.