Cruise Update – SKQ202511S (May 27-28)

Tuesday, May 27:
Calm seas made for ideal conditions to begin early morning prep for the FLMB-12 mooring deployment. The mooring was rigged, instruments mounted, and the 64” upper sphere placed between the A-frame. Following a GAR check, deployment went smoothly just after breakfast. After safely moving off-site, the team conducted a full-depth 4,100m CTD cast, followed by an anchor survey and an afternoon of Rosette water sampling and processing.

Wednesday, May 28:
The day started with another 4,100m CTD cast, during which acoustic comms were established with the FLMB-11 mooring, confirming all subsurface instruments were intact. The two-stage recovery of FLMB-11 began at 10:00 and was completed by 14:30. The team then transited to the glider box, successfully recovering gliders 363 and 563, and wrapped up the day with a 200m CTD cast and water sampling.

Completed Tasks:
✔ FLMB-12 deployment
✔ 4,100m CTD casts at FLMB-12 & FLMB-11
✔ Anchor survey at FLMB-12
✔ Acoustic download & recovery of FLMB-11
✔ Recovery of gliders 363 & 563
✔ 200m CTD with water samples