http://www.usshoustondive.com/pblog/index.php http://www.usshoustondive.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry080318-001324
again I would like to thank all that help in getting this trip done and those that read our day by day story. ]]> http://www.usshoustondive.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry080313-082626 http://www.usshoustondive.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry080310-100733
March 6,2008

Arrived late to the boat. Had breakfast at hotel.

Frist dive 8:09 am Jerry and Jolene dove down safety line took several pictures.
Picked up flags and swam aft over to the hanger bay and rehung the flags. Took more pictures then swam back to the safety line. Then over to the officer qtr hatch. Ran into jellyfish on the way up. Back in the boat at 9:00 am.

Eunju and Brad went down the same time as Jerry and Jolene but headed to another section. They went thru the hanger bay, pass the small tower back to the hanger bay. They picked up the anchor we located earlier and brought it up.

Dave was on the boat took the ROV out of the turret and flew it around outside. No current.

!0:45 am Jerry and Dave went down to move the ROV out of turret. Brad at the control while Dave fixed the talons. Back up at 11:18 am.

Disaster line had to be constantly cut.
11:20 am ROV being driven by Dave.

Lunch boiled sweet potatoes and fish the captain caught earlier.
11:25 Brad picture taken with the new fish caught.

Brad and the small boat went out to the second bouy Back hatch #3.

4PM left for shore currents not right for more dives.

Stopped by hotel before going into Cilagon for dinner.
Hana Korean restaurant Freid shrimp,sweet sour chicken Korean soup coke and water

Then back to the hotel for the night.





March7,2008

Breakfast at hotel Rice porridge all around

Johnny late picking us up. 7:50 am

Dive 1 835:am Jerry and Brad clipped line to bring ROV in.
8:45 Eunju and Jolene dove down safety line took pictures forward and just before the hanger bay,large tower. Best dive ever really clear.

Dave on boat working sonar.

Dave dove alone and was back on the boat at 10:31 Went to the main tower forward and back 100 ft of the safety line each way.

Dive 2 Jerry Brad, Eunju and Jolene dove thru the hanger bay and went around to . Murky in spots. Jolenes weight not right she came up before us.
Brad and Jolene stung by the little jellyfish on the way up.

Daniel brought out Helen and Dameian from Australia to put a wreth on the Perth.
While Daniel,Dave Damian Helen went to the Perth we entertained the Man from London who was trying to buy a boat from Daniel.

Lunch noodles,eggs and greens
Conference with Daniel

11:35 current picking up Diver safety check played with sting ray with ROV
Conversations with the Ausrtalians and London man. All went to shore in the very tiny small boat
We got Damian and Helen a room at the Pulorida and went to dinner at the Simpang Raya Restaruant.

10:30 pm Dave called his daughters social studies class. 9:30 am Central time..







March 8,2008

Rained during the night, Poured.

7:00 am at boat dock, Johnny late. Brad and Eunju bought rice cakes from the villagers of Pasir Kali.
Had to wait for Johnny to buy gas when he finally showed up.

Breakfast on boat, fried chicken,fish and eggs.

8:29 am ROV check,fish on line tangled on safety line. Water murky.

8:30 Divers getting ready to deploy the ROV
8:40 am Divers in the water. Eunju,Brad and Jerry.
8:41 am ROV following divers down the safety line.
Brad has the ROV current picking up. Put in the hatch
ROV flying inside the hatch.
9:01 break for Dave
ROV flying
9:16 am break for Dave. Divers back on board with the fish.
Light rain
10:02 am Dave getting ready for dive,changing over to Steele tank this time.
10:10 am Dave down
No dives for Jolene today.
Raining
10:40 Dave out of the water.
ROV hatch straight back to tip stern came back to rudder,propeller shaft,back over hull, down to the rear tower back again to the rudder.
11:16 ROV flying.
11:18 Eunju and Brad going down to recover the tile,his lost flashlight and 2 flags.
11:30 Dave break form flying the ROV.
11:47 ROV flying around second hatch.
12:30 Pictures of the team.
Afternoon ROV flying off and on.
2:16 ROV stuck Break time.
ROV unstuck parked
Let for shore.
Brad and Eunju took us to the Blue Moon in Anyer for dinner. Meet up with their friend Terry, his wife and son Matthew age 4.



March 9,2008

5:55 am rained really hard.
Brad and Eunju dropped us off at the village pier. They are headed to Jakarta then back home to Korea
Johnny picked us up with the small boat and almost ran over fishing nets on the way to the Barracuda..
7:35 am ROV flying. Puffer fish in view outside the hatch thru the nets.
Sunny now.

First dive Jerry and Dave to move the ROV

Daniel came out today

10:00 am Dive plan dicussion

Second dive 10:40 am
Jerry to go first to clip tether loose.
Daniel to take video camera
Dave to feed line
Daniel caught a grouper
Tether management for ROV
ROV retreval out of hanger bay moved to large deck opening in hanger bay
Lots of phot op.

11:15 Dave flying the ROV
12:55 stopped flying the ROV

Getting ready for the next dive
Jerry,dave and Daniel to uncoil the ROV Jolene to work ROV controls aboard
2:03 pm out of the water visual ability ok dive 33mins
Back to the hanger bay ROV,large tower forward
Daniel sent up another large grouper

Jelly sandwiches fixed by Daniel
Third dive
3:00 pm next dive to recover ROV so blu view sona can be added to it
Daniel caught another fish
Daniel, Jerry and Dave dove this one.

Fourth dive
3:38pm Daniel and Dave to go after and bring up the ROV

Jerry, Dave and Jolene ready to go ashore. Waiting for Daniel to finish his dive
Daniel always stays down longer than anyone.

Johnny drove us back to Cilegon to pizza hut for dinner. McDonalds ice crean for dessert.
Found car had to find Johnny.
March 10,2008

Left Pulorida hotel with all our gear. Checked out.
Johnny slept in car, ready to pick us up.

Said our goodbys to little Fahad in Pasir Kali village.

Small boat to the Barracuda village fishing boats had the harbor blocked with all the nets.

7:30 am Dave putting Blu view sonar on the ROV. Change out parts

Jolene got her equipment cleaned so it can dry out.
Jerry gathering up his stuff getting ready to leave tonight






]]> http://www.usshoustondive.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry080308-224007 http://www.usshoustondive.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry080307-082800 http://www.usshoustondive.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry080305-225143 We got up late and had breakfast at the Pulorida hotel restaurant at 8:30 am. Met Johhny at village peir for pickup at 10:00am.Water calm.

Eunju and Jolene went diving down the safety line. Jolene touched the Houston for the first time at 11:15 am Eunju took a picture of Jolene on the safety rope on the way down. They found the anchor that we were searching for.

Dave worked on getting the ROV ready to fly by testing the currents and ways to get the ROV to the deck of the Houston despite the high currents. Tether was clipped to the safety line.

Lunch was soup, seasoned beef, white rice and pineapple.

Jerry and brad went down moved the safety line from forward of the hanger bay to aft of turret three.
After swim to the safety line we went down it to the Houston. I untie it and pulled it along the side of the Houston while Brad use the under water video camera. We went pass the Ballard that we were looking for and came up on the aft part of the ship. We came back a little and tie the safety line off on the side of the Houston. Then we both went down coming across the hatch that I was looking for. I took the under water video camera and try to film the hatch. Having trouble keeping it on. It want to shut down , just when you needed it. After looking at the hatch we went down even more close to the bottom, finding turret three. I try to video it too. The turret is starting to fall apart. It took a while for me to know what I was looking at. Then we head over to the aft mast back to the side of the Houston. It took Brad and I a few seconds to figure where we were and then headed back to the safety line to exit the water. As we were doing the safety stopped I could feel the float on the surface going under water due to the current picking up and both of us flying like flags on the line. After the safety stopped I head to the surface. I had to let go of the line due to it still under water by three feet. I started floating in the current toward some fishing boats. I could see that they stopped fishing and got ready to get me if the safety dive boat did not leave the dive boat. Then Johnny went after Jerry and Brad in the small boat so they didn’t have to swim that far. We both were picked up and head back to the dive boat getting ready for another dive when time allowed.

ROV ready, Jery and Dave the ROV at 3:25 pm to the turret opening and placed inside. Large nets covering the opening had to moved them before they could set the rov in it. Visibility less than 3 feet. Current moderate, calm by turret.
Dave said a huge fish swam out and greeted him. Dave had to cut himself and the ROV out of fishing line. Jerry waited for David to come out and up to the side of the ship. Jerry had pointed the light down so David could see if way to Jerry. Both of them head back to the safety line and up to the dive boat.
.
ROV flying at 1532. Everyone in command center watching. See the inside of turret two very well.
Brad and Jerry practiced driving ROV.

Before the ROV went down you could see the deep blue water changing to light green. It formed a line. The light green had a lot of trash floating. We wondered which had better visual blue or green?

Day was sunny and clear.

At 4:20 Brad and Dave took out the small boat to run the sonar. Hard to get the crew to steer straight for this procedure. So Brad will drive.

ROV moved out of the turret two and store by the opening by hooking on to a line that came down from the side of the ship.
Back to shore for Dinner in Cilagon at Pizza Hut.

We stopped on way so Eunju could buy some fruit to eat on the ride to cilagon. Pizza Hut was inside a Super Mall. We had Pepperoni and one meat lovers with Coke. Food good. Jerry bought a pair of sandals for $1.00 to replace his pair with electrical tape holding it together. Back at the car we find ants all over the seats from the fruit bought earlier. Eunju had to go back in the store and buy some ant spray , problem solved. Back to the Hotel.

Dave ate at the hotel, he didn’t want to drive the 30 mins to dinner. Dive team out.]]> http://www.usshoustondive.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry080304-102104



March 4, 2008, we are onboard the dive boat and the waves are 5 feet, winds and strong currents.it did rain on us as we made the run out here.We are holding on to everythings to keep it from rounding around. We lost a handle off the little boat, from the waves pulling on the rope. we are going to ride it and hope the currents slow down and they let dive boat come around into the wind, so we can dive or place the ROV into the water. I feel like i'm not getting anything done out here, expect for some sonar pictures, before the storms came back. I hope to bring more photographes of the ship if the weather will let me. I will update later.
]]> http://www.usshoustondive.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry080303-190315 http://www.usshoustondive.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry080302-200321 ]]> http://www.usshoustondive.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry080301-204236

We are now out in sunda straits but not over the HOUSTON due a number being off on the GPS. When we got a good number, we ran out of day light. We have anchor for the night and will start again in the morning. Half the dive team returned back to shore to stay the night in a small resort close by. David and I will stay with the dive boat and try to anchor by the HOUSTON after day break. Two of the crew have taking the small boat and a depth finder trying to locate the Houston. David and I just sat down and had some dinner, now we are trying to put the new numbers in the GPS and trying to see how far away we are from the HOUSTON. While eating we watch lighting off in the distance. David and I stated that it looked like a battle going on in sunda straits.on the eve the sinking of both the Perth and Houston. It is not raining right now and most of today was sunny. Some of us even go sun burn on the face and arms. If it had not been for a very late start, numbers being off, the deep finder on the dive boat going down, the small boat getting here just before dark, we would be anchor on top of the HOUSTON. But tomorrow has to be a better day, because we are already out in sunda straits, not far from the Houston and the weather has to be like it was today. The little boat is returning and we have to un pack some of the gear that we will be using tomorrow and it is getting late. I’m going to say dive team out for now.
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