Tsaacs—Faughn—Schick—Sargent: Deep-Sea Moorings 299 
With the above completed, the bottom-detecting device is armed (i.e., the glass 
ball is inserted and the safety pin is installed to secure the piston against tripping 
on deck) and its 150-foot pilot pennant (usually %4.¢-inch wire rope) is faked out 
near the work platform. One end of this pennant is attached to the detecting 
device and the other end is attached to the bottom eye on the anchor. A special 
swivel is then attached to the top pad eye of the anchor, and to this is attached a 
300-foot steel rope pennant (%4,-inch, 3x19 improved plow steel). This latter 
pennant is then faked out and the bitter end is shackled to the special wire clamp 
which has been attached to the terminal end of the mooring wire. A *£-inch manila 
tag line leading through a snatch block on the work davit is then tied to the top 
pad eye on the anchor. 
The instrument skiff is put on the launching skids (a eradle made of wood 
four-by-fours flush with the gunwale just aft of the work platform). The 300-foot 
nylon mooring pennant marked every 50 feet is snapped into the ring of the 20- 
foot skiff painter, and then faked down alongside the launching skids. The sub- 
surface float, already pressurized, is next moved into the work area and its 10-foot 
wire-rope pennant is shackled to the lower side while the 300-foot nylon pennant 
is shackled to the top eye. 
The metering device for the mooring wire is set, and the echo-sounder loud- 
speaker located at the work platform is tested. The ship is then ready to moor a 
skiff. 
MOORING PROCEDURE 
On approach to the station, the bridge notifies the working crew to stand by fifteen 
minutes before arrival. At this time all connections in the system are checked to 
make certain that shackles are moused, that shackle pins have micarta sleeves and 
washers, and that all fittings have been painted with plumbers’ black mastic. The 
instruments in the skiff are then activated and the skiff light is connected with the 
batteries. 
As the ship approaches the station’s planned position, speed is reduced and the 
ship is headed up into the wind and sea. When the ship is relatively motionless 
on station (as checked by sea-marker dye or other means), a sounding is taken 
and the echo sounder is then put on “listen” so that any pretripping of the bottom- 
detecting device can be picked up. Depending on the ship, all mooring work is 
carried out over the port side aft, for example, and caution is exercised so that 
the ship does not fall off to port. If this happens, the wire tends to work under the 
ship. Almost the only recourse in the event this happens is to cut the mooring 
wire, if it has not parted already, and to start over. It is virtually impossible 
with any amount of wire out, once the ship has ridden over it, to maneuver so as 
to clear it. The bridge notifies the fantail when on exact geographic position and 
ready to begin laying the mooring. 
The first thing over the side is the bottom-detecting device. The safety pin is 
removed and the device (weighing about 70 pounds) is lowered by hand on its own 
150-foot wire rope. While the bottom-detecting device is being lowered, the anchor 
(about 700 pounds) is hoisted outboard by chain falls and the weight is taken on 
the 5-inch manila tag line. When the 150-foot wire rope is out, it hangs from the 
