Baltic Sea bound!

Update from the ship's librarian, Laurel.

7/17/2014

We are now staring into the mouth of Baltic Sea, somewhere between Germany and Denmark. With lower salt content than many other oceans, the Baltic has sometimes been seen as one big river mouth which often gets covered with ice in the winter.

Fortunately, it’s quite warm now with very sunny conditions for those on watch at the weather deck to lookout for other vessels and for those of us on break to scan for porpoises and chat.

I’ve been trying to learn a little bit more about how this ship gets from point a to b, and the cadets have been very happy to demonstrate the use of various kinds of instruments and computer equipment that’s required. So far I can understand just one thing clearly, which is that navigation is complicated business.

Hanging out in the aft chart room, a young lady mug explains to me that looks can be deceiving – the maps on the wall are apparently not “maps” at all, but are instead known as charts, which reveal key information such as ocean depth, currents, shoals, rocks, and other obstacles using various symbols. We talk a little about what I still refer to as “maps” as she shows me what she is up to on “ECTIS” – the “electronic chart display information system” that is used for paperless navigation.

The chart room is always one of the busiest places on the ship – full of cadets measuring the angles of the sun or the stars, finding the variation between true and magnetic north, examining our progress on charts of varying scales for various purposes, plotting our course based on way points and compass bearings, and doing what amounts to some very complicated math. (Thanks to instructors Lou Muno and Rick Martucci for helping me understand the tiniest fraction of what I’m looking at, but I think I will leave all the navigation business to the hardworking cadets!)

Shout out: Zac Curtis, Ist classman, says “Hi Mom and Dad! Finally made it to the library to study ! Love you!”