 "Photo: Zig Lawsha")
The Coral Sea tugs through the butchered waters of the Humboldt Bay. Two hundred and twenty tons of steel and constructed grace, the Coral Sea glides toward the horizon line with strength and purpose. On the main deck, bundled in slickers and raincoats, 22 students brace themselves against the Northern rain. Participating in an extended field trip, the students of Oceanography 109 get field research time aboard the Coral Sea.
Docked in the Woodley Island Marina, the Coral Sea and its crew sat patiently awaiting students’ arrival. They gathered together despite the harsh weather conditions and boarded the vessel. As each individual boarded they were given a number. The number given plays a crucial role in the event of an emergency, but was irrelevant as the cruise around the bay for marine sampling was smooth sailing.
Standing in the bridge behind the wheel, guiding the course of the 90-foot research vessel, Coral Sea Captain Scott Martin said, “I enjoy any time I can get on the water.”
With more than 30 years of nautical experience under his belt, Martin has been a captain of large marine vessels nearly all of his adult life. Formerly the captain of small-scale cruise liners, Martin has charted vessels to British Columbia, Alaska, Honduras, and Belize. “I like seeing new places all the time,” he said. Five years ago Martin traded his Hawaiian home for the stability of the position as captain of the Coral Sea.
The Coral Sea has been a part of the Humboldt State research facilities since 1998; yet its life and history exceed far beyond the time spent off the Humboldt Coast. Constructed in Santa Barbara, the keel was laid in 1973. Built at the request of Glenn Miller, the original use of the vessel was underwater film-making and marine exploration and was used for such until Miller’s death in 1981. For the next three years, the vessel was used for dive charter, until it was seized during a drug raid by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in 1984. Resold and renamed Herman Cortez II in 1992 to the Florida Marine Research Institute, it was used for research in the Gulf of Mexico until it was purchased by HSU.
HSU has had access to a research vessel for the past 47 years. The first was the Seagull which was purchased in 1963. Since then HSU has utilized seven other vessels. Of the eight boats, only three have been owned by HSU; the Seagull, the Catalyst (which sank in 1978) and our current ship the Coral Sea. In the years when HSU did not own a research vessel one was either leased or donated by businesses such as Eureka Fisheries or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services.
The Coral Sea has several uses. “We don’t just do one thing,” said Martin, “We do everything.” PG&E, the U.S. Navy and Scripps Institute are just a few other organizations that also use the vessel and provide a source of revenue for HSU.
“We’re actually a source of income for the university,” said Martin. He explained that the boat makes enough money to offset the costs of running the vessel and actually yields a profit. Amidst an educational budget crisis, Martin pointed out the common misconception that people often regard the Coral Sea as an expendable asset to HSU. In reality it is indispensable.
Broken into four groups at the start of the trip, students used a plankton tow to gather samples. “The most fun is analyzing the samples,” said sophomore english major Thomas Oliver. Oliver also enjoys looking at the organisms they find. One of the groups actually caught a tiny jellyfish. “It’s catch and release,” HSU professor Hal Genger said with a smile when asked what happens with the specimens after analysis.
Halfway through the four-hour lab, students were filtering in and out of the galley to grab a late lunch between collecting and analyzing samples from the bottom of the ocean, measuring water visibility and calculating the ship’s speed. In the downtime, clusters of students attempted to communally learn different nautical knots: the bowline, tautline or midshipmans and sheetbend.
By the end of the trip the winds shifted. The clouds parted to reveal the iridescent light of the afternoon sun. Flawless rainbows were visible across the sky. In a short span of time the Coral Sea chartered 22 students into nautical resonance and hopefully a deeper appreciation for aquatic life. As he came in off the main deck, drenched from head to toe, Oliver smiled as he said, “I may be soaking wet, but my spirits are still high.”
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