Going to the bridge where most of the command operation takes place might
not be a good idea if a delicate maneuver is underway unless you are expected to
be there on-duty. The best thing is to ask the captain if you could visit the bridge. It
often happens that someone is not welcome and has arrived at the bridge at the
wrong moment, but you will probably be aware of your error because of the mood
of the on-duty group working there. However, the officer-on-watch is sometimes
happy to talk with someone, if nothing serious is going on, so it is best ask
permission before visiting the bridge.
It is commonly believed that the most important man on board is the captain,
but I do not think it is true, unless there is an emergency or a delicate maneuver to
be accomplished. In my opinion, on a daily basis, the most important people on
board are the cook and his crew. Indeed, the people working in the galley have the
art and the possibility of keeping the rest of the crew and their guests happy during
a journey. The galley becomes the best place to go to meet with others and discuss
life and everyday problems. The boson (chief of the crew members) is another
person that you really want to keep on your good side. He seems to be the fellow
who can make things work properly and smoothly as far as the maintenance of all
the material and apparatus, which the inexperienced scientists coming on board
seem to have difficulty handling in a proper way.
There is always noise on board a ship and one has no choice but to get used to
it. It seems that the crew is constantly painting and repainting the ship, and
scratching-off old paint is a tedious, noisy job that has to be performed if we don’t
want to see a rusty, floating wreck at sea, like some of the other commercial ships
we have encountered on our missions.
Captain’s table When embarking on French vessels, it was an honor to be
invited to the captain’s table. Usually the meal lasted for more than an hour. This
was a custom during the early 1970s until 1980. Four-course meals and drinks
were served as if the Captain and his guests were sitting in a three-star restaurant,
with the chief steward wearing a white jacket serving the delicious dishes. After
the meal, a cigar used to be a commonplace, enjoyable way to finish the experience. Of course, this might upset some people’s queasy stomachs if they were not
used to being on a ship and if the weather conditions were not conducive to
remaining inside for a long period of time. I used to be apprehensive about an
invitation to the captain’s table because I knew I would be uncomfortable and yet
feel I needed to be too polite to request permission to excuse myself. Afterwards,
when you feel better, you always regret having had stomach troubles that prevented you from enjoying meals with the ship’s captain.
The science headquarters (called the ‘‘PC—Poste de Controle’’ in French) is
the area where all the scientific information and real-time data acquisition are
stored and where meetings take place. This is where we go to conduct our scientific work and data recovery and for any on-board decision-making.
18
1 An Overview of Oceanographic Exploration
not be a good idea if a delicate maneuver is underway unless you are expected to
be there on-duty. The best thing is to ask the captain if you could visit the bridge. It
often happens that someone is not welcome and has arrived at the bridge at the
wrong moment, but you will probably be aware of your error because of the mood
of the on-duty group working there. However, the officer-on-watch is sometimes
happy to talk with someone, if nothing serious is going on, so it is best ask
permission before visiting the bridge.
It is commonly believed that the most important man on board is the captain,
but I do not think it is true, unless there is an emergency or a delicate maneuver to
be accomplished. In my opinion, on a daily basis, the most important people on
board are the cook and his crew. Indeed, the people working in the galley have the
art and the possibility of keeping the rest of the crew and their guests happy during
a journey. The galley becomes the best place to go to meet with others and discuss
life and everyday problems. The boson (chief of the crew members) is another
person that you really want to keep on your good side. He seems to be the fellow
who can make things work properly and smoothly as far as the maintenance of all
the material and apparatus, which the inexperienced scientists coming on board
seem to have difficulty handling in a proper way.
There is always noise on board a ship and one has no choice but to get used to
it. It seems that the crew is constantly painting and repainting the ship, and
scratching-off old paint is a tedious, noisy job that has to be performed if we don’t
want to see a rusty, floating wreck at sea, like some of the other commercial ships
we have encountered on our missions.
Captain’s table When embarking on French vessels, it was an honor to be
invited to the captain’s table. Usually the meal lasted for more than an hour. This
was a custom during the early 1970s until 1980. Four-course meals and drinks
were served as if the Captain and his guests were sitting in a three-star restaurant,
with the chief steward wearing a white jacket serving the delicious dishes. After
the meal, a cigar used to be a commonplace, enjoyable way to finish the experience. Of course, this might upset some people’s queasy stomachs if they were not
used to being on a ship and if the weather conditions were not conducive to
remaining inside for a long period of time. I used to be apprehensive about an
invitation to the captain’s table because I knew I would be uncomfortable and yet
feel I needed to be too polite to request permission to excuse myself. Afterwards,
when you feel better, you always regret having had stomach troubles that prevented you from enjoying meals with the ship’s captain.
The science headquarters (called the ‘‘PC—Poste de Controle’’ in French) is
the area where all the scientific information and real-time data acquisition are
stored and where meetings take place. This is where we go to conduct our scientific work and data recovery and for any on-board decision-making.
18
1 An Overview of Oceanographic Exploration