Moon Pool Sonata
Of course every ship is different but there is something special about Amundsen that makes her unique among all the ships I have ever sailed on. Now Mum don’t panic, but Amundsen has a big hole in her hull! It’s ok we’re not sinking. No, this is a marine architectural feature called very romantically the ‘Moon Pool’. To me this conjures up romantic images of a place where young, smartly dressed sailors might take their doe eye scientist girlfriends in the evenings for a smooch but actually it’s not quite so attractive.
The Moon Pool is a 3 meter by 3 meter square hole through which instruments can be deployed even when the ship is completely frozen into the ice making sampling possible under any conditions. Of course in the freezing waters of the Arctic keeping ‘the pool’ itself free of ice can pose some engineering challenges and so a system whereby hot water from the Sea Chest (engine) is pumped in, is employed, to keep everything fluid. It has to be said the pool is a little bit smelly and looks kind of industrial. However, I have been told that on previous expeditions it has become the residence of a couple of Sea Lions making it a good place to come to relive some scientific stress. So hey, maybe it is a bit romantic after all?!
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They cannot scare me with their empty spaces
Between stars–on stars where no human race is.
I have it in me so much nearer home
To scare myself with my own desert places…..