Crew Corner

Interview with Bob

Full Name: Bob Juhasz

Home Town: Bob was born and raised in Flint, Michigan and currently lives in northern Michigan.

Time on a ship: Bob has worked on a boat for the last eight years. For the past seven he was with Scripps and before that he was working on the Great Lakes. Prior to this he was getting his degree in Criminal Justice.

Position on the ship: Oiler. He is responsible for making sure the winches are always in working order as well as for training the wipers.

Favorite place: Seychelle Islands

Would like to visit: Machu Picchu and Egypt


Hobbies on board: Lifting weights and reading

Hobbies at home: Hunting and fishing

Favorite dish: Hungarian poppycosh

Favorite books: Anything history related, especially ones about WWII and early America

Nickname: Wahoo. This comes from the large game fish he caught shortly after coming aboard.



Full name: Melissa Turner

Where are you from? East Bridgewater, MA

Do you have any siblings? Two

What is your job? 2^nd Mate

What does that include? Responsible for the navigation. She drives the boat!

How did you come to work as a ship navigator? I went to the Massachusetts Maritime 

Academy and graduated with a 3^rd Mate license. I graduated in 2000. It then took four more years working to obtain my 2^nd mate license.

Since you graduated where you have worked? Prior to working with Scripps I worked in the Gulf of Mexico for 6 months right after my graduation on an offshore supply vessel.

What do you enjoy the most about your job? The travel and the people I work with.

What do you enjoy least about your job? Being away from my family is pretty hard.

How often are you at sea working for Scripps? 7-9 months out of the year.

What is the longest time that you have been at sea without a break? 55-60 days.

How would you explain what it is like working at sea to someone who has never experienced it? It is very hard to explain to people. Most people don’t understand the concept that we work every day; there are no weekends off. For someone who has always had a 9-5 job, it’s a hard concept to understand.

What do you do when you are on shore? I catch up with friends and family when I am home in Massachusetts. I also enjoy to kayak and hike.  

What do you do in your off time on the ship? I read a lot, watch movies, and enjoy working out.

Where has your occupation taken you? India, New Zealand, Australia, Seychelles, Mauritius, Antarctica and South America.

Where is your favorite place? Seychelles and New Zealand.

Why? They are beautiful countries and I have a good friend who lives in New Zealand, which makes it more special.

What is your scariest experience at sea? I got hit in the mouth by a chain binder after it had been snagged. I cut my lip and gums but I was fine. It could have been a lot worse so I am not complaining.

If you weren’t working at sea what could you see yourself doing? Teaching high school.

Favorite:

Animal? Giraffe

Food? Indian

Sport? Baseball

Season? Fall

Meal on the ship? Sushi

Color? Red

What do you think of the Deadliest Catch? I have never seen it before.

Interview with Brandi

Full Name: Brandi Murphy

Age: 28

Where were you born? Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Where do you live now? San Diego

Do you have any siblings? Yes, three sisters who are all younger, the youngest being 20 years old.

What did you do before working on the Melville? Worked on a masters in geology at Boise State University.

Had you ever worked on a ship prior to the Melville? Yes, worked on many other vessels as a geophysical technician.

What is your position here on the Melville? Geophysical technician, one of two aboard.

What is your favorite thing about the Melville? The hot tub.

What is your least favorite thing about being at sea? Missing family weddings and other events.

What is an interesting fact about you? I really like to knit and spin yarn as a hobby, some of the geophysical data takes time to load on the computers so this provides me with time to knit.

What is your favorite thing to do when not aboard the Melville? Camp for sure.

How long have you worked on the Melville? Have been here almost four years working with Scripps.

What made you want to start working on a boat? The opportunity to travel and an interest in marine geology. 




Interview with Bud

Full Name:
Bud Hale

Where he lives:
Bud currently lives in San Diego. He moved there shortly after graduating college.

Time with Scripps:
Bud has worked with Scripps for just under 5 years.

Position on the boat:
While on board, Bud serves as the boat's programmer analyst. He is responsible for looking after all the computer systems of the ship.

Prior work:
Before joining Scripps, Bud most recently worked for the San Diego Supercomputer Center. While there he worked on a variety of projects that focused on gathering and processing environmental data.

Favorite part about working on a research vessel:
The exposure to the scientists and their work.

Place he would like to visit:
Bud has been on cruises all around the world. He would most like to go as far north as the far reaches of the Bering Sea.

Hobbies:
While he isn't working on a boat, Bud enjoys sailing and continuing work on projects from prior jobs. Recently he has also been instructing people on how to climb structures such as large microwave towers.

Interesting facts:
Prior to signing with Scripps, Bud helped develop technology for the F-16 jet as well as for some unmanned aerial vehicles. He also enjoyed his time working on the Jason submersible project.

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The Melville's newest AB, Matt Serio

Interview with Matt...

What’s your full name?

Matt Serio 

Where are you from?

I’m from a small town outside of Boston Massachusetts. 

How old are you?

I’m 23 

How do you like working here, on a research vessel?

I love it. It’s a great opportunity; it’s a lot better than other types f vessels, a lot more interesting 

How long have you been working on ships?

I just got out of Mass Maritime academy so this is my first paying job but I’ve been out on boats all my life.

What is your job title and what do you do?

I’m an Able Bodied seaman, during the day I perform deck work and at night I stand watch with the 2^nd mate from 12-4am and help drive the ship. 

What’s your ultimate career goal?

To have a license that says Master Oceans Unlimited. It’s the highest license you can get. 

What’s the worst job you’ve ever had to do on a ship?

Clean up the bunker c, which is this thick fuel, with a dustpan. 

Scariest incident on a ship? (Any close calls)

I don’t know I try to blank those from my mind. 

What’s the most fun part about your job?

Needle gunning! 

Longest time out to sea?

60 days, we went from South Carolina, to Morocco, Egypt, UAE, Pakistan India, back to Egypt, New York, Virginia, and finally back to South Carolina. 

When you were younger what did you want to be when you grew up?

A defenseman for the Boston Bruins ha….no probably a writer. 

Where is the coolest place you’ve ever been?

Dubai, it was like a symbol of over indulgence, anything you could have wanted was there. 

If you had to work on land what would you do?

I would be a left fielder for the Boston Red Sox, cause the bum they have there right now isn’t doing a good job… or a landscaper. 

What’s your favorite food?

Indian food!! 

Favorite past time?

Playing soccer, ice hockey, and giving poor directions to Yankees fans, especially if they are trying to go to Fenway Park. 

Favorite band?

Citizen Cope 

Favorite sports team?

Is that even a question?! The Boston Red Sox!!!

Matt's last word's:

“I think I’ve seen the light at the end of the tunnel, I Just hope its not freight train coming the other way”

Drew Kerlee

 

Lives in: Berkeley, CA

Originally from: Bellevue, Washington

School: California Maritime Academy, 2012

Age: 31

Favorite thing about being at sea: It’s challenging in many different ways for many types of things.

How he came to work here: Kerlee was always into sailing small boats, and realized he wanted to work with larger boats as a career.  He is here as a “summer intern” for California Maritime, which is part of the curriculum.  He is a cadet, also known as a mid-shipman, and is learning about ship operations, particularly on deck.

Scariest moment at sea: Kerlee previously worked on the Amistad.  He was most scared when he realized how careful he had to be, as he could not be easily rescued from the water.

Funny story from sea: While taking a bunch of campers on a boat, Kerlee paid little notice to buoys prompting rocks ahead.  After hitting the boat on them, he hasn’t taken buoys for granted since then.

Plans upon graduation: Kerlee wants to stay with research vessels, and also try container ships and tugboats.  One of his goals is to work as a pilot, which involves being stationed at a port, and meeting any incoming vessels and providing the captain with knowledge on how to maneuver his boat in the harbor.

Favorite Movie: Star Trek (2009), Judge Dread

Favorite books: The Coyote series

Place he’d like to visit: Bristol, England

Interesting fact: At 31, Kerlee has many fake teeth, had LASIK surgery, and a metal plate in his wrist, which he considers far too many operations for someone his age.

Interview with the HMRG Crew: Steve Tottori, Roger Davis, Paul Johnson, Dorsey Wanless

Hometown:

Steve- Born and raised in Honolulu

Paul- Hometown is Holden, MA but now lives in Honolulu

Roger- Pennsylvania but also now lives in Honolulu

Dorsey- Originally from Topeka, KA but currently lives in Gainsville, FL

(HMRG is based out of Honolulu, Hawaii)

How long they've been working on boats:

Steve- 30 years

Paul- 17 years

Roger- 19 years

Dorsey- 8 years

Most interesting place they've visited:

Steve- South Africa where he went from Cape Town to Johannesburg stopping in Swaziland among other places along the way

Paul- Seychelles Islands near Madagascar

Roger- Northern Greenland and Easter Island

Dorsey- Marshall Islands

What do you like to do when you're not at sea:

Steve- relax at home

Paul- kayak and fish

Roger- spend time with his family

Dorsey- hike and bike

What are your plans for after you get off the ship:

Steve- Head home for a few days before he has to return to Costa Rica to unpack the HMR1 gear from the ship

Paul- spend time off with his family

Roger- head back to work

Dorsey- head back to school

What are you looking forward to about the Galapagos:

Steve- see all the interesting sights

Paul-  he's been there 4 or 5 times, but he's still looking forward to visiting again

Roger-  wants to see all the wildlife and plans to search for a good pro-evolution T-shirt

Dorsey- as it's her first time there she want to take in all the sights too

Favorite Movie:

Steve- From Here to the Moon

Paul- Lord of the Rings

Roger- Seven Samurai

Dorsey- Hoosiers

Interview with Robert Anthony Gerhardt

From: Born in LA, but moved to San Diego in the 4^th grade, which he’s called home ever since

Birthday: August 11

Job description: He is an OS (ordinary seaman) and mostly does janitorial and maintenance work until he can get more sea time under his belt.

How did you get into working on ships? During high school he worked on private charter boats, but this is his first time working on a ship. (Yup, he’s a fellow pollywog!) He’s had a lot of experience though and the first time he ran a boat was when he was 19!

What do you like to do in your free time on the boat? Read, mostly. He likes non-fiction and historical fiction. His favorite book is The Three Musketeers.

What about on land? He likes to fish and hunt deer (Don’t worry, Bambi lovers, he’s only ever gotten one) as well as doves. He once caught a 197lb yellowfin tuna that took him three hours to reel in and has harpooned two swordfish before.

Any cool sea-related stories to share? He once saw a blue whale just a few feet away when he was out at sea in a 20 foot boat. (For some reference, blue whales are over 4x that length.) He’s also seen humpbacks breaching.

Of all the places you’ve visited, what’s been your favorite so far? He enjoyed seeing the Caribbean and was on a cruise around the Mediterranean, where he got to see some cathedrals.

What’s the longest you’ve ever been at sea? This cruise will actually be the longest…

Future plans? When he was younger he wanted to run a boat and compete in fishing tournaments. For now, he hopes to rack up some more at-sea hours and continue a career working on ships.  

Fun Stuff:

If you could have lunch with any three famous people, dead or alive, who would they be? He’s actually met some famous people before, including Chuck Yeager and Jerry West, whom he took fishing. But hypothetically, he’d like to meet T.E. Lawrence (the real-life man behind Lawrence of Arabia), Lord Nelson, and General Patton.

What’s your go-to karaoke song? Stairway to Heaven

Favorite music artist? Taproot 

Favorite movie? Apocalypse Now

Favorite board game? Stratego

Rob would like to give a shout out to his Thursday night poker group in San Diego.

 

Interview with the Chief Engineer

Who celebrates 29 years of working on the seas today, June 1. 

1. What’s your full name?

Paul Bueren

2. Where were you born?

Paul was born and raised in Corta Madera Wood, California

3. Where do you live now?

He now lives in Edmonds Washington.

4. How long have you been working on ships?

He has been working on ships for 29 Years, as of June1. Paul attended the CA Maritime Academy and got a degree in Marine Engineering, and a 3rd Engineers license.

5. What is your job title and what do you do?

Paul is Chief Engineer and his job is to over see the maintenance of all the mechanical and electrical systems of the ship, repairing engines, winches, basically anything that breaks. Also the most important part of his job is being in charge of barbequing the steaks for Sunday barbeque.

6. What’s your ultimate career goal?

“Ha to retire…with all my fingers. “

7. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had to do on a ship?

The worst, he said, would have to be mucking out the slop tank, where we put all the wastewater.

8. Scariest incident on a ship? (Any close calls)

Paul tells of one incident “March 14, 1983. The ship lost power in the middle of tropical cyclone Rewa off Tahiti and rolled 55degrees. I was in the engine room in the dark; I just got down on the floor and held on waiting for the emergency generator to come on. It was a category 3 cyclone and we went right through the eye. That was terrifying.”

9. What’s the most fun part about your job?

Paul says the most fun part about his job is getting to travel and see new places.

10. Longest time out to sea?

About 6 months, 45 days without port calls

11. When you were younger what did you want to be when you grew up?

Paul grew up on boats so he always wanted to be near or on the water. It was inevitable that he ended up working on a ship.

12. Where is the coolest place you’ve ever been?

It was a three-way tie between Pitcairn Island, Deception Island in Antarctica where they anchored in a caldera and went ashore and hiked on the volcano, and Easter Island because of the history and statues. Paul has been around the world three times and to all 7 continents.

13. If you had to work on land what would you do?

He would be a plumber or a handyman, or maybe even a senator!

14. What’s your favorite food?

Black and blue ahi, fresh caught.

15. Favorite past time?

Reading, walking the dog, and spending time with his family are some of Paul’s favorite past times.

16. Favorite band?

Drive-By Truckers, they are a southern rock band.

17. Favorite animal?

Paul loves to watch the five bald eagles that live out side of his house.

“It’s a rough life on the sea”

Brian Charles Rowe

 Above: Brian (on the right) enjoying some video gaming with a few other crew members

Place of Birth: Marion, OH. It’s about 45 minutes north of Columbus.

Brian lives in San Diego currently and prefers it to Ohio. According to him San Diego has the “perfect weather for human existence.”

Do you have any siblings? One younger brother.

What is your job title here on the ship? I’m a Resident Technician.

How long have you been working at this position? I’ve been with Scripps for about 7 months.

I was doing similar stuff up in Alaska before that as a Marine Technician but that involved less deck ops. It was more just making sure gear ran and computers were operating. It was a little more technical, slightly different job. Both of the jobs have pros and cons, but I wanted to move out of Alaska – I was there for 11 years out of Seward working for University of Alaska.

What does this job include? Any deck operations involving science gear. I Recover and deploy it. I’m also a liaison between the science party and the crew.

How did you come to work as a Res Tech / on ships in general: Out of college I got a job as fisheries observer at fisheries in Alaska. That’s how I got into working on boats. From there I found out I could make more money actually fishing, so I did that for awhile. It got pretty old though. I looked for job on a research vessel, and found one with University of Alaska.

What do you enjoy most while working as a Res Tech? It’s fun meeting new people with each new science party/cruise. And the travel that’s involved – we get to see new ports in international and out of the way places.

What do you least enjoy while working as a Res Tech? When done at sea, we’re supposed to go right back to office 8-5. I like going to sea, but don’t like having to go back to office job directly from being at sea for 40 days or so with no break or transition in between.

How much time do you usually have between cruises? Usually a month to a month and a half between cruises.

What is the most challenging aspect of your job? Having to mash all these personalities together. Trying to be the go-between, and coordinate so things go smoothly in a group with a bunch of different people. Not everyone always gets along, especially while at sea for so long. Managing differences can be tough.

What places have you experienced while working as a Res Tech? With Scripps I’ve been to Puntarenas, Costa Rica and Valparaiso, Chile in past seven months. With my other job basically stuck to Dutch Harbor, Barrow, and a few other ports in Alaska.

What place did you like the best? The coolest place I’ve been was on Attu Island, out at end of Aleutian chain in Alaska. I took some archaeologists to shore and was helping them excavate remains in this cave. Usually it’s absolutely terrible out there, but we had a beautiful couple of days. It was really pretty awesome.

Favorites:

Favorite animal? Great White Shark.

Favorite food? Bone-in Rib eye, rare. Ribeye roasts on sale at store. Only $6 per lb.

Sport? Football. Team? Forced to say Cleveland Browns

Season? Fall

Favorite meal on the ship? Pizza

Color? Blue

Random:

How would you describe what it’s like to be at sea (on a research vessel) to someone who has never experienced it before? You have lots of stuff to read, and lots of movies. You have to resist the temptation to eat too much and you’ve got to be able to deal with down time and things slowing down from time to time.

How are your transitions back to shore? I like to have a little off time to get acclimated. But it’s fun b/c you get to go back…drink a bunch of wine, cook a good meal, enjoy the things that come with being back on the beach.

What do you think of the Deadliest Catch? I’ve actually never watched it. Since I fished up there, I already know what it’s about. Don’t need to see it again.

Have you experienced any scary moments aboard a research vessel?

The scariest moment I experienced was on a fishing vessel in Alaska off Dutch Harbor. We were off-loading our fish and one of the deck hands fell off from the main deck to the freezer, which was about 3 stories. He cracked his head open, and it was pretty nasty, but luckily he did live, though he ended up with some brain damage. There weren’t any safety lines up where he was working…he was probably too tired.

If there is one place that you would like to go to aboard a Scripps vessel where would it be? The Galapagos. Probably Australia…lots of golf.

William James Robert Bouvier, EIT aka Chumly

Hometown: San Diego, CA

Currently Resides: San Diego, CA

Age: 25

School: UCSD, 2008 – Structural Engineering

How he got involved working for the Melville: He couldn’t find a job in a location he wanted (by the water) in the structural engineering market, so he opted to apply to work on a Scripps vessel.

Official Title: Wiper

Plan for the future: Stay onboard ships for years, eventually becoming a Chief Engineer

Favorite Thing at Sea: The night skies, they have many more stars than the skies above San Diego

Scariest Moment at Sea: Luckily, nothing bad

Favorite Movie: Zombieland

Favorite Book: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Favorite Music: Sir Mix-A-Lot

Sports Career: High school wrestler, JROTC from sophomore to senior year

Funny story: Will was ordained online in the Church of Life, along with his brother, for the sole purpose of presiding over their sister’s wedding.

 

An Interview with Chief Mate Chris Hammond

Name: Chris Hammond
Born: Seattle, Washington

Currently Living In: Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Job Title: Chief Mate 

Description of Position: He is in charge of deck operations.  This includes overseeing ship maitenance, scheduling for the ship, and shipboard training.  He is also the designated security and medical officer on board.  As the medical officer, Chris has similar training to an EMT except with an emphasis on basic shipboard medical procedures and more complex procedures with the direction of doctors on land.

Interesting Fact:  Within only his first 8 months of working on ships, Chris was able to set foot on all 7 continents.

Began Working on Ships: 2006

Favorite Place Visited: Antarctica because of the penguins and its a place that not everyone can get to... but mostly because of the penguins.

Memorable Moment at Sea: Once when he was on a ship off the coast of South Africa, he and the rest of the crew had to rescue a sinking tugboat.  They rescued 9 of the 11 people on board.  He said that while it was a really cool experience, it was something that he hopes to never have to go through again.

Why He Chose to Work on Ships: Growing up near the water in Seattle, Chris loved being on boats and being on the water.  In addition, it allows him to travel, but still spend half a year at home.  He says it's essentially like being paid to travel.

Downside of Being at Sea:  He doesn't like having to be away from his wife and dog so much as he often spends between 6 and 8 months at sea. 

Place He'd Like to Visit: Having already had the chance to pass through the Panama Canal, Chris says he would like to go through the Suez Canal.  He would also like to visit northern Europe. 

Favorite Things to Do When Not at Sea:  Spending time with his wife and dog, hiking, biking, and rowing.

Ways to Pass Time on Board: Reading or working out

Favorites...

TV Show: Deadliest Catch, though he thinks a lot of it is for show

Food: Mexican Food

Animal: Turtles

Color: Blue

Movie: Indiana Jones movies, minus the newest one... which didn't count.

Getting to know Dave

Age: 23. Dave was born on January 8^thand is proud to share his birth date with Elvis

Sign: Capricorn

Home town: Pittsburg, Pennsylvania

Currently living in: Knoxville, Tennessee

Education: United States Merchant Marine Academy which is one of five federal service academies

Major: Logistics

Job Title: Able Bodied Seaman (AB)

Interesting Fact: Dave has his 3^rd mate unlimited license and could be an officer on any vessel but he is sailing as an AB because there were no jobs available AND he wanted the opportunity to cruise around the Galapagos and go to Costa Rica.

Job Description: He works some of the time helping the chief mate with navigation in the bridge.  He also helps out with docking operations and deck maintenance.

Watch Hours: 4am-8am, 4pm-8pm

Worst job on a ship: Cleaning ballast tanks

Longest time on a ship: Was at sea for 230 days with a day break only to switch ships.

Worst weather faced: While on one of the ships there was a storm in the middle of the Atlantic and the ship was rolling at 40 degrees and a pitch of 20 degrees.  There was enough water coming onto the deck that large barrels where moved.  This large amount of water on the deck prevented anyone from going on deck for about a week.  Luckily, despite these rough seas Dave has never gotten seasick!

Desired occupation as a youngster: pilot, but as he got older he realized he could see more of the world from a ship.

Favorite…

Song to listen to while on watch- I’m on a boat

Go-to dance move- shopping cart

Movie- Finding Nemo… just kidding Animal House

Place he has traveled to on a ship- South Africa because he got to go on a safari.  It was also his first time trying ostrich and crocodile meat.

Random Fact: This is Dave’s 5^th ship he has worked on and has visited 25 countries.

Free time on the boat: When he is not on shift Dave likes to take long walks on the deck, relax in the ship’s hot tub, play cribbage, work out, and write emails to family and friends.

Hobbies: golfing, fishing and hiking

Hidden talent: can play the saxophone

Shout outs: to his girl friend Tamera, Mrs. Reul’s 1^st grade class and the rest of the 1^st graders, his family in both Knoxville and New York and Hatchet man!


Pictures of Dave hard at work...

Interview with the R/V Melville's 3rd Mate

3rd mate Jeffrey Kirby

1. What’s your full name?

Jeffrey Kirby

2. How long have you been working on ships? Why a science vessel?

I have been working on ships for four years. I chose science because I believe in science exploration instead of money hungry oilers.

3. What is your job title and what do you do?

I am third mate; my main responsibility is to drive the ship.

Jeff plotting the ships location on a map.

4. What’s your ultimate career goal?

I’d like to be a captain one day; it would be cool to be the one in charge.

5. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had to do on a ship?

I once had to hang off the side of the engine stack and vacuum rust. I had to balance on a small piece of metal while I did it too which made it even more challenging.

6. Scariest incident on a ship? (Any close calls)

I almost ran over a broken oilrig in the middle of the night in the Gulf of Mexico, luckily I saw it in just enough time to steer clear.

7. What’s the most fun part about your job?

Getting to travel all over and seeing many exotic places around the world is probably one of the best parts of my job. Also meeting new scientists keeps life on board interesting.

8. Longest time out to sea?

My longest time out was 50 days, we were down around Antarctica and it was really hectic on board cause there were many icebergs to steer through.

9. When you were younger what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was younger I wanted to be an architect, how buildings were constructed and the various styles always fascinated me.

10. Where is the coolest place you’ve ever been?

I would have to say, Positano, Italy. It’s this old fishing village that’s built on the sides of these steep hills so every where you look you can see cool buildings all around, and it slopes down into the warm blue water of the Mediterranean.

11. If you had to work on land what would you do?

I would probably be an ER surgeon and save lives!

12. What’s your favorite food?

I would have to say Thai and Indian food.

13. Favorite past time?

I enjoy anything in the outdoors, especially camping and backpacking in the Sierra Nevada’s.

14. Favorite band?

That’s tough, but I would have to say Jack Johnson.

15. What famous person do you most resemble?

I have no idea, people have said Matthew McConaughey or Owen Wilson, but I don’t know about that.

16. If you could have dinner with any three people, dead or alive who would it be?

I would have dinner with: Buddha, cause he had it figured out, Christopher Walkin, cause he seems pretty funny, he would keep the conversation going, and Jimmy Buffet cause he and I would probably have a lot in common.

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 Ricky (right) with the Chief Engineer, cookin' up some BBQ

Hola todos,

For today’s edition of Crew Corner, we sat down with Ricky.

Full name: Luis (Ricky) Enrique Navarrete

Job: 3^rd Assistant Engineer; He’s in charge of pollution control and oily water separation and also runs the marine sanitation device. He works the 12-4 watch where he operates diesel engines, oversees power generation, fuel and air systems, potable water and sewage systems.

From: San Francisco—the Bay area

Why were you interested in working on boats? The opportunity to have a lot of vacation time was the main draw.

What are some of your favorite places that you’ve visited? Cocos Island, Costa Rica; Midway Island; Saipan

Any place you’dl ike to check out but haven’t yet? Ankgor Wat (a temple complex in Angkor, Cambodia)

How long have you been working at sea? Four months, but sees himself working at sea for between 6 and 8 months a year.

What do you like to do in your spare time on board? Throw a tennis ball against the wall on the bow, near the Captain’s quarters.

What’s your favorite meal on board? Oatmeal with strawberries, bananas and cinnamon

What do you like to do when you’re on shore? Run half-marathons, surf, wakeboard, snowboard

What’s your favorite animal? Kangaroo—after he graduated he lived in Australia for 4 months.

Favorite movie? Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

Favorite color? Green

People say he looks like Orlando Bloom, NOT Keanu Reeves

Interview with Captain Murray  

1.What’s your full name?
Murray Stein

2.How long have you been Captain?
I’ve been sailing as relief Captain for about ten years, and my job title is Chief Mate

3.How long have you been working on the seas?
I first started going to sea in 1978. I was working in the oil fields off-shore. It was fun at the time but very dangerous. My father was a pollution scientist with a PhD from Texas A&M so I was always around marine biology and had been interested in it since I was a kid. As a result I left the oil fields and went to Texas A&M for the Nautical Science/Marine Transportation degree.  I went there from 1980-84 and then worked for some tug-boat companies. Eventually I got a job on Melville, and sailed for 1.5 years as an able bodied seaman and in time was promoted to first officer.

4.What’s the worst job you’ve ever had to do on a ship?
The worst thing that can happen is when someone gets injured or dies while on ship and having to tell their loved ones that we lost them at sea.

5.Scariest incident on a ship? (any close calls)
I’ve never had any serious marine incidents (like having to abandon ship). We here at Scripps are very safety-minded and I think that attitude helps prevent a lot of maritime incidents.

6.What’s the most fun part about being captain?
In this business seeing bright, young, enthusiastic, scientists learn about the earth and how it works. Just observing, watching them grow up and see this big fascinating world brings us a lot of joy.

7.Longest time out to sea?
I think it was about 57 days we may have been in the Antarctic, I can’t quite remember.

8.When you were younger what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a marine biologist but I liked boats a lot. If I had known I could drive boats I would have wanted to do that.

9.Where is the coolest place you’ve ever been?
I think the two most interesting places I’ve ever been are the Galapagos, because of the flora and the fauna, and Easter Island, because the people are so interesting and they have an interesting history.  I’m what you call a 20/20 sailor; I sail between 20 degrees north and south.

10.What is you favorite color?
Maroon. I’ve always liked it and it was the color of my college. I bleed maroon!

11.What’s your favorite food?
Seafood, fresh caught from the sea off the back of the boat!

12.Favorite past time?
Reading. Right now I’m reading Native Tongue by Carl Hiaasen. I also enjoy hiking, and really like mountain biking. 

13.  Favorite band?
I like lots of different music, but if I could only listen to one person for the rest of my life it would be Bob Dylan. I’m really into that folk-style music.


Its nice having you all aboard! I wish you a successful cruise.

View on the Drew 

For the first installment on our "Crew Corner" page we decided to start out with someone we see a lot, and who does tons to help us out: Drew, one of our Res Techs.

Full name: Drew Kamaki Cole. Kamaki is Hawaiian for Thomas, which was his father’s nickname in Hawaii.

From: Maui, Hawaii, born and raised.

Age: 24

Job: Resident Marine Technician (Res Tech) for the past 3 years.

What does the job include? Keeping the science crew running and happy. Operates necessary machinery (crane lifts, etc), helps deploy scientific instruments, interfaces between scientists and crew.

How did he get involved with the R/V Melville/becoming a Res Tech? He did an internship on the New Horizon (a smaller ship) which got him started with Scripps, leading to his current position on the Melville.

What sort of qualifications does it take to become a Res Tech? Marine Technical School for 2 years, leading to a certification in machinery operations.

What does he enjoy most about his job? The challenge of something new that science brings and having to think things through more as a result. This includes learning how to operate and deploy new instruments on each cruise. He also enjoys the travel and fishing.

What does he enjoy least? Typhoons. Drew went through one last year off of Taiwan and did NOT like it.

What does he do in his free time while on the ship? Fish and play Xbox. The fish he snags include tuna, marlin and squid among others.

What does he do while on shore? He works in the office in San Diego from 8-4 during the week and on weekends relaxes on his boat and goes fishing.

Where has he been while working for Scripps? Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa, Taiwan, Philippines, Chile, Tahiti, Costa Rica, Galapagos, Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and Guam.

What place did he like best? Philippines is great because it’s cheap, but the cities can be pretty awful. Costa Rica has nice fishing. In Taiwan the people are nice but there are no fish because they’ve pretty much killed the ocean around them so…Australia without a doubt. The people are great, the environment is great, it’s safe, and the scenery is incredible.

What was the scariest moment he’s experienced at sea? On his last big cruise, while standing on a CTD (conductivity) instrument, which weighs over 1,000lbs, and strapped to the deck, the winch operator lifted the instrument up off deck with Drew on top of it. The wire holding the instrument snapped and it fell back down on deck just a foot or two from water.

What does he think of the Deadliest Catch? They do a lot of dumb things just because they’re on TV.

Where would he really like to go? Bakini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. It’s the island that the U.S. tested nukes on. He’d like to go there because it sounds pretty cool history-wise, and is unique as a result of the radiation, which has changed the island’s environment.

Random stuff:

Favorite animal? Ahi (Elephant Tuna) “Fricken delicious.”

Favorite food? Chocolate

Sport? Fishing

Season? Summer

Favorite meal on the ship? Fresh cod, Alaskan Halibut and salmon.

Color? Green

Siblings? He has one sister.

He would like everyone to know that this was the best interview ever.

Finally, how would Drew describe what it’s like to be at sea to someone who has never experienced it? “It’s like prison with chicks and good food.”


The Cooks

 The cooks aboard might very well have the most important and difficult job on the ship. For the regular crew, the ship is not only their workplace but also their home away from home so the meals need to keep them happy. For the scientists, food is often the great diversion from the long nights working in the lab. These responsibilities fall on the shoulders of the cooks, Richard Buck (Senior Marine Cook) and Leoncio Martires (Second Cook). The cooks aboard the Melville endure a very long day, taking into mind the chore of keeping the galley clean and providing for 50 crew members. They wake up at 5:00am and begin working on breakfast at 6:00am. This continues till after lunch. Shortly after an hour’s break they begin the haul to dinner. The end of the cooks’ 12-hour day is 6:30pm, a longer shift than any other members of the ship’s crew. Almost all of the food prepared here on board is “home cooked”, including baked bread, pasta, rice, salads, and vegetables for practically every meal. For Richard, one aspect of his position on the Melville that he really loves is the freedom to be creative and develop a unique menu each day. But with that freedom comes large responsibilities and some pressure. The challenge is to maintain variety in the face of dwindling food supplies. There are no ports to stop at throughout the trip to collect food supplies for the kitchen.

Richard Buck

Hometown- San Diego, California

Onboard- Senior Marine Cook for 5 years

Prier To Melville- Worked many catering jobs throughout San Diego 

Richard truly enjoys working on the Melville. The supportive working environment helps him tackle the numerous challenges of his job with a positive outlook, and this reflects on the quality of the meals, which is indeed exceptional.       

Leoncio Martires

Hometown: Long Beach, California

Originally From: Philippines

Position: 2^nd Cook

Time on the Melville: This is Leoncio’s first shift on the R/V Melville.  He has a 75 day shift that ends in mid-June.

Previous Work: A polar tanker up in Alaska for 8 years

Leonicio has had some interesting experiences since becoming a cook.  One of the larger problems he faces is when bad weather makes food production difficult because of the rocking of the ship.  One of his most notable stories regarding this was during a storm, when everyone on board was having trouble keeping their plates on the tables as the boat rocked.

An amazing story that has come out of Leoncio’s work onboard has been his education in CPR.  One time, when he returned home to visit his father in the Philippines, he looked out the window to see him collapsed outside.  Leoncio ran out, performed CPR, and ultimately saved his father’s life.