One of the most interesting cruises I have been on was as a co-operative venture between British and Russian scientists in the flagship of the Russian research fleet, the Akademik Mstislev Keldysh (AMK). The objectives of the BRAVEX (British Russian Atlantic Vent Expedition) cruise were to investigate the biology, geology, geochemistry and plume chemistry at the TAG (Trans Atlantic Geotraverse) and Broken Spur hydrothermal vent sites.

Akademik Mstislev Keldysh  The AMK carries a complement of around 150 crew, officers and scientists. Somewhat more than your average British or American research vessel. The ship even has its own meteorologist! It also boasts a small swimming pool, sauna and volley-ball court.

Although the Shirshov Institute has to scrimp and save to keep their research fleet afloat, enormous efforts are made to keep the two submersibles carried by the AMK in tip-top condition. The MIR 1 and MIR 2 (Mir means 'peace' or 'world' in Russian) submersibles are capable of diving to 6500 meters and can remain beneath the surface for up to 24 hours. They are crewed by a team of elite pilots, engineers and specialists who are regarded by the Russians with almost the same esteem as cosmonauts. Every morning as the sun rose these dedicated experts could be seen training on the recreation deck of the ship.

Launching the MIR submersibles

Launching and recovering MIR is a tricky process. The sub has to be lowered gently into the water, disconnected from the crane cable and towed away from the ship. During the day, if conditions are calm, the well rehearsed launch crew make it look easy. To disconnect or reconnect the sub from the crane cable a crew member has to jump from a zodiac onto the slippery, rolling, bouncing top of the sub. If, as is sometimes necessary, MIR has to be deployed or recovered at night in blustery conditions, what is already a tricky process becomes extremely dangerous. For the scientist/s and crew, conditions within the confines of MIR while waiting to be found at the surface after a long dive must be extremely unpleasant.

The MIR 1 filmed by MIR 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Black smoker!

MIR is propelled by a large main propeller at the stern. Since it moves through the water very slowly, and is often required to maintain its position with great precision, a rudder would be pointless. Steerage is achieved through two smaller propellers located mid-laterally and mounted on swivels so that they can provide thrust in any direction. Illumination is provided by a battery of extremely powerful headlights. At the point where hydrothermal fluids meet with cold sea water many of the minerals precipitate out of solution. This results in the formation of chimneys and black 'smoke'. The geochemists participating in the cruise were particularly interested in the composition of the hydrothermal fluids.

Sampling hydrothermal fluids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MIR grabs a beehive !

To sample the fluids they designed and built a syringe-like piece of equipment with a long, bent tube which could be inserted into the mouth of a chimney. This allowed them to sample fluids before they were cooled and were contaminated by the sea water. The insertion of a tube located at the end of a mechanical arm into a narrow chimney from a sub at the mercy of intermittent currents is not an easy task!

The geologists and geochemists were also interested in the structures formed by the interaction of hydrothermal fluids and sea water. Occasionally structures can be found through which hydrothermal fluids seep at a much lower rate. These have a repeating structure, reminiscent of Dawkins' descriptions of the possible origins of life and have been called 'beehives'.

My reason for participating in the cruise, along with Professor Paul Tyler, Cathy Allen Copely and Jon Copely was to study life around the vents