44066/TT4 Summer 2011 Anticipated Replacement– NDBC Photos and Story Follow
Macoora members Mike Crowley and Jeff bigmahi visited the National data Buoy Center, NDBC, at the Stennis Space Center in Louisiana. The purpose was to discuss stakeholder needs, relay the message of importance of weather buoys off the Mid Atlantic and to stress need for the timely replacement of the 44066/Texas Tower 4 buoy, which broke loose in late January 2010.
The NDBC is responsible for the design, building, deployment and maintenance of all the weather, tsunami and DART buoys all along the coast of the United States and other areas around the world. Housed in the Stennis Space Center, former testbed for early Saturn and Ajax spacecraft jet engines, this campus has an unusual history. This area was the home of Werner Von Braun who ushered in the space age rocket engine at this location. Now the sprawling campus of buildings houses a variety of NOAA agencies. Occasionally a new jet engine is tested in the nearby areas creating unannounced blasts that rock the seats of unsuspecting engineers and administrators.
The NDBC is a 24/7 facility. Every buoy under their control is monitored regularly to guage consistency and correct transmission of data. Meteorologists use large colorful plasma screens to watch the weather conditions throughout the day while engineers work with remote on-water technicians to calibrate newly deployed buoys. In the work area, tens of enormous spools of different sized mooring line, chain and fittings are scattered about and new material is tested to improve mooring strength. Others grapple with large pre-fab payloads inserting them into the bellies of the buoys. An early failure of the 44066 was water that leaked from a topside cable slit that allowed the water to find its way into the payload disabling the water temp sensor. This facility is a beehive of activity.
Surprisingly it is not always the severe weather but ships that accidentally cut the lines setting buoys free. In the Pacific there is a big problem with tuna fishers tying off and actually cutting mooring lines to catch fish. This is an expensive and dangerous practice sacrificing safety for the local economy.
NDBC has redesigned the familiar weather buoy we know with a more modular
design making it more resistant to the harsh climates offshore. These will begin to be dropped into position this season. Director Portmann is committed to continue to provide important information from equipment designed to protect and save lives through a more innovative buoy type. In years to come they will begin to integrate unmanned gliders which will deliver atmospheric and oceanic data from circling water devices which will be lighter, and less expensive to deploy and service.
All the buoys are constructed in the high-ceiled building that formerly housed huge
jet engines. The buoys look tiny in these aeronautic caverns of the cold war era.
Buoys are assembled here and placed in the nearby man-made lagoon for testing. They are then laid out on buoy alley awaiting deployment by available Coast Guard vessels.
The CG vessels also provide maintenance. Normally the life span of these is 2-3 years when a service rotation replaces each buoy. They are looking for ways to speed up the process to reduce the rotation down time and keep our data flowing. Especially important for us is the operability of the other 44017 Montauk and 44025 Fire Island buoys.
Old buoys are refurbished and re-outfitted. One is flying saucer looking buoy which is similar to the now currently situated off Bermuda. It is so large you could have a clam bake party on this. Some, like the original Hotel buoy that used to be 250 miles off New jersey had broken off its mooring in 2009 and was eventually retrieved near Bermuda. It now sits near buoy alley gathering guano and rust. It will probably never see service again.
There has been a request in to the Coast Guard for the 44066/Texas Tower 4 buoy re-deployment for a month. Due to the BP Deepwater disaster some CG vessels are still catching up on previous work. According to the NDBC ops team they are expecting a summer mooring.
They understand the marine and angling need and are doing their best to get it scheduled.
When in Louisiana you might take the 75-minute ride to Stennis and visit the facility. You can get a chance to see your government at work engineering buoy data devices that make our fishing and boating journeys safer.
Macoora is the Mid Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association, one of 11 regions under IOOS. Attachment 187611Attachment 187612Attachment 187613Attachment 187614Attachment 187615
The NDBC is responsible for the design, building, deployment and maintenance of all the weather, tsunami and DART buoys all along the coast of the United States and other areas around the world. Housed in the Stennis Space Center, former testbed for early Saturn and Ajax spacecraft jet engines, this campus has an unusual history. This area was the home of Werner Von Braun who ushered in the space age rocket engine at this location. Now the sprawling campus of buildings houses a variety of NOAA agencies. Occasionally a new jet engine is tested in the nearby areas creating unannounced blasts that rock the seats of unsuspecting engineers and administrators.
The NDBC is a 24/7 facility. Every buoy under their control is monitored regularly to guage consistency and correct transmission of data. Meteorologists use large colorful plasma screens to watch the weather conditions throughout the day while engineers work with remote on-water technicians to calibrate newly deployed buoys. In the work area, tens of enormous spools of different sized mooring line, chain and fittings are scattered about and new material is tested to improve mooring strength. Others grapple with large pre-fab payloads inserting them into the bellies of the buoys. An early failure of the 44066 was water that leaked from a topside cable slit that allowed the water to find its way into the payload disabling the water temp sensor. This facility is a beehive of activity.
Surprisingly it is not always the severe weather but ships that accidentally cut the lines setting buoys free. In the Pacific there is a big problem with tuna fishers tying off and actually cutting mooring lines to catch fish. This is an expensive and dangerous practice sacrificing safety for the local economy.
NDBC has redesigned the familiar weather buoy we know with a more modular
design making it more resistant to the harsh climates offshore. These will begin to be dropped into position this season. Director Portmann is committed to continue to provide important information from equipment designed to protect and save lives through a more innovative buoy type. In years to come they will begin to integrate unmanned gliders which will deliver atmospheric and oceanic data from circling water devices which will be lighter, and less expensive to deploy and service.
All the buoys are constructed in the high-ceiled building that formerly housed huge
jet engines. The buoys look tiny in these aeronautic caverns of the cold war era.
Buoys are assembled here and placed in the nearby man-made lagoon for testing. They are then laid out on buoy alley awaiting deployment by available Coast Guard vessels.
The CG vessels also provide maintenance. Normally the life span of these is 2-3 years when a service rotation replaces each buoy. They are looking for ways to speed up the process to reduce the rotation down time and keep our data flowing. Especially important for us is the operability of the other 44017 Montauk and 44025 Fire Island buoys.
Old buoys are refurbished and re-outfitted. One is flying saucer looking buoy which is similar to the now currently situated off Bermuda. It is so large you could have a clam bake party on this. Some, like the original Hotel buoy that used to be 250 miles off New jersey had broken off its mooring in 2009 and was eventually retrieved near Bermuda. It now sits near buoy alley gathering guano and rust. It will probably never see service again.
There has been a request in to the Coast Guard for the 44066/Texas Tower 4 buoy re-deployment for a month. Due to the BP Deepwater disaster some CG vessels are still catching up on previous work. According to the NDBC ops team they are expecting a summer mooring.
They understand the marine and angling need and are doing their best to get it scheduled.
When in Louisiana you might take the 75-minute ride to Stennis and visit the facility. You can get a chance to see your government at work engineering buoy data devices that make our fishing and boating journeys safer.
Macoora is the Mid Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association, one of 11 regions under IOOS. Attachment 187611Attachment 187612Attachment 187613Attachment 187614Attachment 187615
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