THE CAPTAIN'S REPORT 



17 



HONOLULU, HAWAH TO PAGO PAGO, SAMOA, OCTOBER 2 TO NOVEMBER 18, 1929 



The seven-week passage to Samoa was a period of 

 good weather but feeble winds. The engine was used fre- 

 quently in order to keep on schedule as well as possible. 

 In the first few days after leaving Honolulu the ship 

 passed through a series of wind squalls that reached 

 such force as to rip the middle staysail, gallant, and 

 foresail. These were old sails but were repaired and 

 put back into use to save the new suit of sails for a later 

 part of the voyage. On October 7 some remarkably long 

 swells were encountered, coming from the northwest. 

 These were observed to be about six hundred feet apart. 

 Brief stops were made at Penrhyn Island on November 

 10 and Manahiki Island on November 12. 



Heavy cross currents near the equator caused con- 

 siderable loss of oceanographic equipment. The Counter 

 Equatorial Current flows at a rate of thirty miles per 

 day on the surface, near its northern boundary at 9° 

 north, but has no velocity at a depth of two hundred me- 

 ters. On October 25 the wire of the bottom sampler and 

 the wire of the water-bottle series became entangled and 

 the latter wire parted when caught on an outboard plat- 

 form. Forty-two hundred meters of wire were lost, nine 

 water bottles, and eighteen deep-sea reversing ther- 

 mometers. To avoid similar loss in the future, the pro- 

 gram was altered and the water-bottle series was not 

 lowered imtil the bottom sampling was completed. This, 

 however, almost doubled the time required for each 

 oceanographic station. 



Other equipment losses were experienced earlier. 

 On October 11 two silk nets were lost when the tow wire 

 jumped its sheave and wore through. On the same day a 

 bottom sampler and some bottom temperature equipment 

 were lost when a splice in the wire caught on the meter 

 wheel. On November 5 the silk plankton nets towed from 

 the bow became entangled with the wire of the bottle 

 series which was lowered from the quarter-deck. Two 

 thermometers were lost on this occasion and the nets 

 torn slightly. 



After leaving Honolulu, various attempts were made 

 to get satisfactory measurements of gravity, but without I 



success. The roll of the ship, the vibrations Imparted 

 by waves striking the ship, and the instability of the 

 mounting of the gravity apparatus all prevented success- 

 ful operation of the apparatus. WhUe in the lee of Pen- 

 rhyn Island on November 10 a gravity measurement was 

 made; this was the only successful measurement made 

 between Honolulu and Pago Pago. A satisfactory meas- 

 urement had been made at Honolulu before departure 

 and additional successful determinations were obtained 

 while in the harbor at Pago Pago. 



On November 8, at 7h 30m, the sonic depth finder 

 gave a sounding of 5200 meters. Later, during the 

 oceanographic station, another sounding indicated a 

 depth of only 1200 meters, a shoaling having occurred 

 within a few mUes. In the island regions such irregu- 

 larities were noted frequently. 



The full program in magnetism, atmospheric elec- 

 tricity, oceanography, and meteorology was carried on 

 without interruption; 47 complete days of record of con- 

 ductivity were obtained, 29 complete and 16 partial days 

 of potential gradient, and 23 oceanographic stations oc- 

 cupied. Magnetic measurements were made regularly 

 on days alternating with those on which the oceanographic 

 work was done. The temperature of the ocean bottom 

 was measured frequently after leaving Honolulu and at a 

 station near Pago Pago the lowest value was found-- 

 l.°l C. Measurements with the sonic depth finder 

 showed that there is no deep trough between Penrhyn and 

 Manahiki islands, as the charts would lead one to believe. 

 Pilot-balloon observations were very successful owing 

 to fine skies and the new theodolite. The latter was so 

 well adapted to observing conditions that the sextant 

 chair was seldom used. Radio conditions were imex- 

 celled throughout the trip. 



Entering Pago Pago harbor in the early afternoon of 

 November 18, the engine was used, as strong wind squalls 

 were swooping down from the mountains surrounding the 

 bay. Anchorage was made at a buoy until the following 

 morning. 



