Written Friday, 30 November
The epibenthic sledge (EBS) called “Meta“ is a prototype designed by Nils Brenke. It consists of two frames of steel with a total weight of 484 kg , and it is 3.45 m long, 1.13 m high and 1.2 m wide. It is designed to sample benthic macro-fauna from shallow waters to depths of more than 6000m. Meta was used many times in the Southern Ocean since the expedition ANDEEP I in 2002 and therefore shows many scars. None of the steel parts are straight any more.
Unfortunately the container including Meta had been put on the front deck. While all boxes and smaller instruments could be unloaded and carried to the right places relatively fast (see yesterday’s entry), this was not an option for the sledge. It took half a day for three people to dismantle Meta in order to reduce weight. On the blueprint this seems easy, but it had never been done before and many parts were fixed together due to corroded screws or deformed plates of steel. We had to use muscle power, hammers and a flex where wrenches and pliers did not do the job.
Secured with rope and floats, the frames were put over the side by the crew this morning. They drifted to the aft, where a crane heaved them on board again. It took us all day to completely rebuild Meta again and to substitute corroded or lost parts. Many thanks to all the people who volunteered and spent hours with us and especially to the crew for doing a fantastic job!
Torben Riehl, University of Hamburg
Photos: L. Würzberg, University of Hamburg and B. Ebbe, Senckenberg
