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THE MAINE EVENT: SUMMER 2002 Predation by Gelatinous Zooplankton in the Gulf of Maine Dispatch 1 Saturday, June 22 2002 Dispatch by Megan Tinsley, Volunteer Research Assistant 
Amidst warm farewells from family and friends, the R/V SEWARD JOHNSON eased out of the protective harbor of Fort Pierce, Florida. Captain Ralph Van Hoek (pictured left) handled the ship in tumultuous seas off the Treasure Coast with ease, while members of the research team went below in search of the ever-elusive sea legs. Sightings of the team were scarce except for occasional trips to the galley to munch on crackers; we emerged on the 24th to a glistening calm sea with a light warm breeze out of the south. Monday, June 24 2002 A vessel named Emanuel shuttled NOAA personnel to the R/V SEWARD JOHNSON just off Cape Hatteras. Emanuel deftly backed its stern close to our starboard side and the NOAA staff climbed aboard. Their mission: to document the exact position of the USS Monitor, the ironclad Civil War ship that now rests 210 feet below on the ocean floor. A NOAA team, along with the Harbor Branch JOHNSON-SEA-LINK (JSL) manned submersible and its crew, completed numerous dives to pinpoint the exact location of sections of the ship. 
NOAA hopes this documentation
will facilitate the salvage of a 120-ton turret, a nine-foot high and 20-foot diameter cylindrical
gun housing that once sat on the top deck of the Union battle ship. This operation may be a
complicated endeavor as the housing now lies below the rotting wreck.
After hovering above the remains of the USS Monitor for two days, we said goodbye to the NOAA team and the R/V SEWARD JOHNSON continued on its northbound course as the sun set over Cape Hatteras. The next stop: Woods Hole, Massachusetts, where the rest of the scientific party will board the ship before it continues on to the Gulf of Maine. As the ship traveled north to Woods Hole, the sub crew carefully prepared the JOHNSON-SEA-LINK for midwater dives. Besides collecting video images as done on the Monitor, the submersible will also collect live organisms for transport from their deep home to the ship for analysis. 
Pictured left, Hugo Marrero tests sampling equipment to ensure optimal mechanical performance.
Later that day, Captain Ralph van Hoek steered the ship out of Woods Hole Harbor and southeast towards the Gulf of Maine. There, we will begin our investigation of predation by gelatinous zooplankton.  |  |
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