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Virtual Cruise II

United States Training Ship Golden Bear

 

Status   June 30, 2002 
 En-route to Suva, Fiji from Honolulu, Hawaii  

Total Distance: 
2,792.5 nm
Projected Time:
10 Days 23 Hours 27 Minutes

Comments: 
This morning we passed Wallis Island 15 nm abeam to port. Wallis Island is the most isolated French colony in the South Pacific. So named for Captain Samuel Wallis after he briefly visited the island on his return voyage after 'discovering' Tahiti. During WWII Wallis Island served as a deployment point for the war in the Pacific. At it's peak there were 6,000 Americans stationed there. For a brief period after the war there was a movement to cut ties with France and become an American colony.   
Vessel Data

Time Zone:

-12 (12 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time)

Local Time of Position:

1200

Latitude:

13°-42.3'S

Longitude:

176°-50.5'W

Total Distance Gone:

2381.7 nm

24 Hr. Distance:

277.0 nm

Distance to Go:

411.1 nm

Current Speed:

9.3 kts.

Engine Speed:

68 rpm. Port Engine

Weather 
Observation:
Mostly blue skies with scattered fair weather cumulus clouds. 

Air Temperature:

Humidity:

Wind:

Clouds:

Seas:

Sea Temperature:

Water Depth:

Sunrise:

Sunset:

82° F

85%

East'ly 20 kts.

Cumulus 

SE 8' 

83° F

4000 M

0608

1832

Forecast:
The weather during the day tomorrow will probably start out as sunny, windy and warm as it has been as of late. To the south of Fiji there is currently a cold front (relatively speaking) that will be moving northeast over the next couple of days. According to current projections we will probably only encounter the edge of it. However, we will see a glimpse of the storm’s approach by tomorrow; expect increasing clouds, a chance of showers, and winds increasing to 12 to 15 kts. from the N/NE. As we approach Fiji, we may encounter seas from a rather intense low that is currently moving over New Zealand; anticipated swells would come from the S/SW at 15 ft. or less.
                Itinerant Weather Prognosticator Nunez

Aboard The TSGB  Day 7
Professor Christodoulou  instructs the engineering students in the electrical power distribution system while on watch in the engine operating station.  The Golden Bear generates all of its own electricity with 3, 900 KW generators.  That electricity must then be divided up and distributed evenly through the ship and the load kept balanced.  That is the job of the engineer on watch this is done on the main electrical board with the assistance of sophisticated computers. 
 
 
The deck department continued its instruction in the skill of tying up, the use of the winches and mooring lines. Seniors are instructed in the skill of managing a deck crew and the importance of issuing  proper orders.  As this is a very dangerous part of vessel operations, a good understanding of the capability of the lines and winches is very important.   

For hundreds of years a ships day was defined from noon to noon. In the early days of navigation, the only time the vessel's position could be fixed with any accuracy was by local apparent noon (LAN). LAN occurs when the sun reaches its maximum height in its daily transit across the sky or as we say. At the time of LAN, the navigator fixed the ship's position to determine how far the ship had gone and course made good en route to the next port.  This is still the practice today on most ships even though many other means of navigation are available. 

 
Today we exercised the man overboard crew in the skills of a fast sea rescue. This is particularly important on the Golden Bear because we carry so many people.  For very practical reasons, it is very important that rescue crew is trained at the beginning of cruise so they will be prepared.The launch and drill went very well and they are ready for any real emergency. From the sounding of the man overboard alarm to Rescue Boat 10 in the water it took all of 6 minutes.

Because today was Sunday, we had our first BBQ on deck, followed by music and dancing under the stars.  Tomorrow, back to the books. 
 
 
 
 
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