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Life at Sea

Rainier usually sails from March through November, pulling into port every 10 to 21 days to replenish supplies and give the crew a brief rest period. While at sea, Rainier usually anchors within her working grounds and deploys multiple launches each day to perform the majority of the survey operations. The ship acquires survey data in deep water where the launch sonar systems cannot reach the bottom. The photographs below offer a glimpse into life on Rainier.

Click on an image for a larger view.

Waves on starboard	Rainier pilot house from the bow	Large wave off the bow	Rainier Bridge crew at work
Rainier pulls into Seward, Alaska.	Crewmembers lounging on the fantail	Good weather for a fantail cookout	Retrieving RA 6 at the end of a day’s work
Rainier and two launches	Lowering launches is a daily operation.	Deck department double fisting	AB Anderson secures a launch.
An engineer checks the engine compartment in a launch.	A launch underway	Launch crew enjoys a brief lunch break	Glacial ice thwarts launch operations.
Launch surveying near the face of Hubbard Glacier	ENS Jennings lowers a CTD prior to sonar acquisition.	Bag type lunches are provided on the launches.	A rare sandy beach party in Alaska
Kayak outfitted with a GPS backpack receiver	Survey Technicians hauling kayaks	Beach fire during an Alaskan beach party