Emily: Traveling and Day 1 Aboard RV Hercules

And so our adventure begins!

Throughout this blog, Morgan and I will be taking turns writing posts during our internship.  We are currently in the port of Trapani, Sicily, aboard the RV Hercules, run by the RPM Nautical Foundation.

This is the first time either one of us has traveled to Europe.  We were both a little nervous about the travel but it went smoothly overall.  Personally my trip over was long, moving in and out of airports for nearly two full days.  I was lucky enough to have a 10 hour layover in Rome, which I used to my advantage.

In three hours I was able to explore Rome and hit all the necessary spots.  I managed to explore the city without the aid of a map, by following the tourist groups.  Being able to see the Colosseum, Fontana di Trevi, The Victorian, and other ruins were an experience of a life time.  And of course, I had to enjoy a slice of delicious pizza and a tiramisu gelato.

The Victorian. Emily Kovacs

Colosseum. Emily Kovacs

It was a relief to finally land in Sicily and board the RV Hercules the following day.

RV Hercules. Emily Kovacs

We were lucky enough to have calm waters to take the ship out and use the ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) to search for ancient relics.

We set off towards the Favignana islands off the Western corner of Trapani.  After about an hour, our location was chosen and we got the ROV ready for its mission.

Favignana Island. Courtesy Of Jack Seubert.

Leaving Trapani Port. Emily Kovacs

Matt Polakowski, Cameron Hutchins, and Richard Preparing the ROV. Emily Kovacs

We spent the rest of the day scanning the seafloor looking for targets that may peak interest on the sonar screen.  We rather quickly found an amphora sitting on the bottom of the sea.  It was exhilarating to see this "live" piece of history just sitting there for at least the past 2,000 years!  

Intact Amphora. Courtesy of RPM.

The rest of the day was spent prowling the seabed for more amphora's and other relevant items.  I was amazed how desolate the area is with the exception of a tumbling seaweed ball.  But, there was plenty of life surrounding and attached to the amphora's when we found one.  We saw various organisms such as: sea bass living within the amphora, starfish, bivalves, calcareous tube worms, encrusting red algae, and epilithic algae. 

Broken Amphora with Starfish. Courtesy of RPM.

Broken Amphora with Sea Bass. Courtesy of RPM.

The scarcity of life is due to the intense trawling fishing methods that have been used here for the past 100 years or so.  I found it depressing how empty the seafloor was.  Hopefully it can be brought back in the future.

Since our excursion on the ship on Monday, we have stayed in Trapani's port.  We are waiting for better weather to begin our crossing of the Adriatic Sea.  We will be heading to Albania from Sicily.  In the mean time, Morgan and I will be reading our text book: Basics of Using Side Scan Sonar and Sector Scan Sonar.  As well as begin to write in our field journals.  We will also begin learning how to plan missions and the basic in and outs of using the AOV (Autonomous Operated Vehicle.)  This time in port has allowed us to explore the town and learn more about the culture here.

Trapani Exploring.  Emily Kovacs

I look forward to moving on to a new region and working with the sonar equipment myself.

Morgan will be posting the next blog post, so keep an eye out for her!

Had to dress up! Emily Kovacs

Ciao!