Icebreaker crew running out of options
ABOARD CCGS AMUNDSEN – The ice around the Amundsen is
beginning to resemble wooden beams riddled by shipworms or, for you
land-lubbers, Swiss Cheese.
Yet despite scores more perforations drilled this morning in the floe, the Amundsen is still stuck fast.
So crew and scientists are again wrestling with the heavy, stinky, gas-powered augers to drill more holes through the nearly metre-thick ice along the ship’s port side.
And Captain Lise Marchand has another trick to try to dislodge the vessel from the icy vise that grasped it late yesterday. In the next hour or so, the Amundsen’s engineers will begin pumping 50,000 litres of fuel from starboard tanks to the uppermost tanks on the port side.
This added weight should increase the leverage action of the tilted ship, with the encased keel acting like a fulcrum.
If that doesn’t free the Amundsen, it’s not clear at this point what other options are available. Cutting the ship free by hand isn’t possible because the ice at the bow end is far thicker than the biggest chainsaws on board.
Larger hand saws do exist, relics of the days when ice was taken from lakes and rivers across the country for refrigeration. In my hometown of Brantford, Ont. such saws were used every spring to cut “keys” in the frozen Grand River to reduce the risks of flooding,
It’s hardy feasible to do that for a 98-metre ship, especially when it seems only one of the giant manual ice saws is still on board. Stay tuned.
Photo by Peter Calamai
please, do us a favor and refrain from calling other people 'land lubbers' until you feel like actually working on a ship and not doing 'token chores' from time to time. Remember, you are a tourist on this trip.
Posted by: someonewhoworks | March 23, 2008 at 03:13 PM
^ It seems one rather bitter commentator is apparently unaware of just how much like hard work writing a blog really is, even while on a ship.
Posted by: Jacob T. Underhill | March 26, 2008 at 05:25 PM
Mr. Calamai - I must admit I felt a tad guilty today after reading your articles - Earlier, I was trying to decide if I needed to put on my fuzzy warm slippers to go out and get my newspaper approx. 10 feet (sorry,3.048 meters) - the temperature had fallen below 60 degrees here in sunny Connecticut....
Your warmer(temperature and personality) cousin, Bob.....
PS, I want to send you a picture - what email should I use?
Posted by: Bob Calamai | March 29, 2008 at 10:41 AM