This is our series of supplemental logs that were taken from our scientific research expedition to RMS Titanic earlier this month. I hope that you enjoy!
Arriving over the wreck site of Titanic at 8:30 am, the Russian crew of Keldysh will spend the next hours preparing to place four transducers positioned in a rectangle pattern around the wreck area. These transponders are essential for the Keldysh to stay geographically positioned over the wreck site. Because of this arrival time, there will be no diving today. Rob McCallum, the dive operations manager, has released the MIR dive schedule and I am slated to dive on Dive Day Three with Trevor Montgomery, aka Monty, from Melbourne Australia. Monty is a deep submersible veteran of dives out to the German battleship, Bismarck and the mid-ocean thermal vents. Whenever Monty enters a room his personality lights up the place and I look forward to diving with him down to Titanic.
Today I had my MIR orientation visit with Anatoly Sagalevitch, my good friend from my 2003 research expedition to Titanic. In 2003, I spent many hours with Anatoly discussing many different topics ranging from our scientific works, diving, shipwrecks, the Russian submarine Kursk, thermal vents, James Cameron and visits to the USA. Seeing him again was like visiting with an good old friend and he is truly a wonderful person. Following lectures by Ralph White about his research and thirty-three dives to Titanic and Don Walsh on Manned Exploration of the Oceans, it was time to brief several of tomorrow's divers on what to do and what to see. Many of the expedition participants spent time designing beautiful styrofoam cups that will be brought down in the MIR's compartment; and because of the 3 tons of water pressure, are reduced to the size of a shot glass.
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