by It has been some time since the cruise on the R/V Neil Armstrong ended, and I’ve been reflecting on the career paths of the crew. Being from a scientific background, I was most intrigued by the role of the SSSG (Shipboard Scientific Services Group) Marine Technician.
SSSGs don’t fit neatly into the structure of the ship: they have different responsibilities from the crew, and they’re not part of the science team, yet their role touches almost every part of the ship and its operations. Primarily they’re on-board experts of the ship’s scientific systems, providing seagoing scientific technical support and are responsible for optimizing cruise productivity.
This is a short description for a role of enormous scope. Research vessels are complex ecosystems of scientific and technical subsystems, as well as the scientists and crew who interact with them, and marine techs are tasked with keeping the whole thing moving. This document, put together during a marine technician workshop, lists the below tasks as some of the most important to the role of marine tech:
- Operate, maintain, repair, and install equipment and instrumentation
- Collect data (physical/oceanographic, atmospheric/meteorological, ship’s underway data, etc.)
- Manage and maintain computers and networks
- Direct deck operations, including maintaining safety and launch/retrieval of scientific equipment
- “Ancillary duties” (i.e. everything else, including liaising between science and crew, inventorying equipment and supplies, and facilitating pre- and post-cruise logistics)
Again, this list might seem short, but all of these categories split into a million individual duties: for example, managing computers and networks includes scripting and programming in a variety of languages; installing, maintaining, and troubleshooting operating systems, software, hardware, and networks; managing data acquisition, storage, and security; and of course regulating finite, precious internet bandwidth.
Unlike most crew positions, there’s no no certification or academy for marine technicians. The training is instead on the job, which means entry level positions look a lot like senior positions. An entry level technician spends their time acclimating and learning the ropes: familiarizing themselves with the ship, working with its scientific systems, and learning how to work with the rotating science team. Advancement doesn’t mean a change of roles, but increased responsibility and autonomy.
Because of this lack of a standard path, there’s significant spread in backgrounds of marine techs. I asked Amy Simoneau, the Armstrong’s SSSG, about the typical path into her job, and she had this to say: “Many technicians arrive with an undergraduate degree in ocean or natural sciences. It’s common to have folks who use this job as a stepping stone before continuing on to graduate school. That said, people can come from anywhere. One of our techs now as well as a former intern worked in the automotive industry prior to coming to sea. We’ve had a tech who graduated from a Maritime Academy with a 3rd engineers license who swapped over to science. Some people come with technical degrees or only some college. There is a wide variety.”
So what are the best parts of the job? “I like the autonomy and self-starting nature of technician work,” Amy says. “During the course of a cruise, my favorite moments are when the science is humming along at a good clip, everything is working, and I have my finger on the pulse of the trip.”
And what about the work environment? Not everyone can deal with the odd schedules, being on call at all hours, or living in rooms that never stop rocking. “Though less than typical, I like the sailor lifestyle. After 20 years I am still psyched that I’ve achieved a schedule of five months off at least per year and it’s great to get home on shore leave to find a pile of time and a pile of money.”
Even the close quarters with the rest of the crew don’t bother Amy: “I like the ‘closed system’ aspect of a well-run ship, how all the crew have a role to play and it all fits together. Armstrong’s crew is overall pretty great and it’s akin to having a second family in that we have gotten to know each other sibling-ly well. “
I think I speak for most STEMSEAS students when I say that this cruise was a seminal learning experience, and that the crew were the reason why: without their vast experience, and their willingness to share it with the students, the cruise would have been very different. With some understanding of the extent of the requisite skills and knowledge required to be effective as an SSSG, my respect and appreciation has only grown.
Special thanks to SSSG Amy Simoneau for her time and invaluable expertise.
If you’re interested in other roles on the ship, WHOI has a great overview on their site: https://www.whoi.edu/what-we-do/explore/cruise-planning/cruise-planning-shipboard-at-sea/cruise-planning-ship-positions/
