Paved with Good Intentions: HMCS Uganda, the Pacific War, and the Volunteer Issue

Admirals and politicians alike must have winced at the headlines: “PACIFIC SERVICE PROTEST” was splashed across the Daily Sketch; “PACIFIC? NOT US!” proclaimed the Evening News, in one of the worst public relations disasters the Royal Canadian Navy faced during the Second World War. As the two newspapers—among many others—explained, the crew of one of Canada’s two cruisers, HMCS Uganda, while on operations in the Pacific theatre, refused to volunteer for further service when requested, forcing the ship to return to port. There were, however, no accusations of cowardice or disloyalty, either explicit or implied; rather, the press explained, “The crew...had volunteered for service anywhere when they enlisted originally. They resented being asked to volunteer again.” The result was that, when war ended in the Pacific on 14 August 1945, Canada had no ship to represent it there, despite plans that at one point had called for a fleet of 60 war vessels

Crew factors in flight operations. Part 3: The operational significance of exposure to short-haul air transport operations

Excessive flightcrew fatigue has potentially serious safety consequences. Laboratory studies have implicated fatigue as a causal factor associated with varying levels of performance deterioration depending on the amount of fatigue and the type of measure utilized in assessing performance. These studies have been of limited utility because of the difficulty of relating laboratory task performance to the demands associated with the operation of a complex aircraft. The performance of 20 volunteer twin-jet transport crews is examined in a full-mission simulator scenario that included most aspects of an actual line operation. The scenario included both routine flight operations and an unexpected mechanical abnormality which resulted in a high level of crew workload. Half of the crews flew the simulation within two to three hours after completing a three-day, high-density, short-haul duty cycle (Post-Duty condition). The other half flew the scenario after a minimum of three days off duty (Pre-Duty) condition). The results revealed that, not surprisingly, Post-Duty crews were significantly more fatigued than Pre-Duty crews. However, a somewhat counter-intuitive pattern of results emerged on the crew performancemeasures. In general, the performance of Post-Duty crews was significantly better than that of Pre-Duty crews, as rated by an expert observer on a number of dimensions relevant to flight safety. Analyses of the flightcrew communication patterns revealed that Post-Duty crews communicated significantly more overall, suggesting, as has previous research, that communication is a good predictor of overall crew performance

In-flight medical emergencies: time for a registry?

When a passenger becomes sick while flying on board a commercial airline flight, the cabin crew commonly solicit the assistance of a volunteer physician. Although in-flight medical emergencies take place every day, little is known about the epidemiology of these events. A new study by Sand and colleagues sheds light on the incidence of specific illnesses that occurred on board commercial flights

Restoring Native Oysters in Great Bay Estuary, NH (2011)

The eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) in New Hampshire’s Great Bay Estuary has declined in the past decades, with local populations at very low densities due primarily to disease, excessive siltation, and past over-harvest. The loss of filtering oysters results in diminished ecological benefits for water quality, nitrogen control, and other services that healthy oyster populations provide. In support of regional management objectives to restore millions of oysters to the estuary, the Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the University of New Hampshire (UNH) piloted and scaled-up methods to successfully rebuild oyster reefs. Based on pilot results in 2009, we developed a technique using a thin layer of recycled clamshell “planted” over silted channel bottom as a hard substrate foundation to recruit natural spawn, supplemented with hatchery-raised and volunteer-grown seed “spat”. In 2010, a full acre reef was constructed and seeded at the mouth of the Oyster River in Durham, producing a one-year standing stock of \u3e200K oysters. In 2011, restoration efforts were scaled up significantly, led by support from the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP), with two acres of reef construction at the mouth of the Lamprey River (Newmarket NH). In June 2011, approximately 200 yd3 of seasoned surf clam shell was deployed at the site for total shell coverage of 80,000 ft2 (7,432 m2). Fall monitoring results showed that an estimated 58K oyster spat were recruited to the reef (19.5 spat/m2). Supplements from UNH remote setting operations added 428K spat to the reef areas, plus an additional 17K spat were raised by community volunteers. By fall 2011, the completed reefs achieved a standing stock of \u3e500K oysters. In addition, another half-acre restoration site was built nearby with farmer support. Collectively, our efforts demonstrate significant progress towards a regional goal of 20 acres of oyster reef restored by 2020, and position us for further expansion of restoration work going forward

An approach to high speed ship ride quality simulation

The high speeds attained by certain advanced surface ships result in a spectrum of motion which is higher in frequency than that of conventional ships. This fact along with the inclusion of advanced ride control features in the design of these ships resulted in an increased awareness of the need for ride criteria. Such criteria can be developed using data from actual ship operations in varied sea states or from clinical laboratory experiments. A third approach is to simulate ship conditions using measured or calculated ship motion data. Recent simulations have used data derived from a math model of Surface Effect Ship (SES) motion. The model in turn is based on equations of motion which have been refined with data from scale models and SES of up to 101 600-kg (100-ton) displacement. Employment of broad band motion emphasizes the use of the simulators as a design tool to evaluate a given ship configuration in several operational situations and also serves to provide data as to the overall effect of a given motion on crew performance and physiological status

Advancement, Spring 2003

Advancement, a supplement to Bostonia magazine, provided updates on BU development activities, including major gifts and projects

2004 Water Quality Education Onboard the Gundalow, Bolster, M

The Gundalow Company (a non-profit 501(c)3 organization) sponsors maritime history and environmental educational programs for school groups and the public onboard the replica gundalow Captain Edward Adams from May through November in 12-15 riverfront locations in the Piscataqua region. The project funded by the NHEP in 2004 included the development of an expanded Gundalow Company education program curriculum in order to motivate all gundalow visitors to appreciate the relationship between regional maritime history, contemporary water quality issues and future stewardship responsibilities. The NHEP grant also supported the Gundalow Company’s efforts to bring the gundalow to Durham and Newmarket. The content of the curriculum is adaptable to all the programs offered by the Gundalow Company staff and volunteers including formal one-hour programs with school groups onboard the gundalow and in classrooms, general interpretive tours when the gundalow is open to the public, group tours for adults, and special events

News from Academy Bay

Royal Visit. The Vice President of Ecuador in the Galápagos. The Galápagos Marine Resources Reserve. The Charles Darwin Foundation Endowment Fund. Repatriation of Captive-bred Land Iguanas. The 1987 Flamingo Census. Experimental Plantations to Provide Building Timber. Visitors and Events at the Charles Darwin Research Station