Previous Voyager Research Articles

Investigating the Historical Background of Mocha Dick's Legend

Abstract: It is widely acknowledged that Herman Melville's Moby-Dick has been inspired by a variety of sources. One of these is the legend of Mocha Dick, about which Jeremiah N. Reynolds published the earliest known account in 1839. In his narration, Reynolds describes an evening he spent on board an unspecified whaling ship off Mocha Island, Chile, during which the whaler's first mate claimed to have killed Mocha Dick on a previous whaling voyage. This essay aims to substantiate the setting of Reynolds's account, in an attempt to identify the alleged murderer of Mocha Dick and eventually to investigate his previous voyages to seek any evidence of a large and / or white whale killed near Mocha Island. Overall, Reynolds's text was found to be consistent with the sources consulted: primarily, the logbook of the schooner Penguin . Reynolds's narration was identified as having taken place on April 3 or 4, 1830, on board the whaling ship Cincinnatus , which was built in New York in 1818. The identity of the whaling ship's first mate, however, could not be established due to a lack of supporting documentation, which in turn prevents further investigation into the origins of Mocha Dick's legend.

The Impact of the American Revolutionary War on the Slave Trade to Cuba

Abstract: Scholars intent on considering the American Revolution's relationship to and influence on systems of slavery must be sure to look outside of the United States. In mid-September 1783, the schooner Eagle , captained by David Miller, landed 104 enslaved Africans in Charleston. This is the first known U.S.-flagged transatlantic slave voyage arriving in the United States after independence. Before bringing these captives from Africa, Miller had conducted a previous voyage on the Eagle , which landed fifty other captives in Havana in May 1783. The latter group of enslaved men, women, and children, whom Miller brought from the Danish colony of Saint Thomas in the eastern Caribbean, were some of the nearly 14,500 captives we have found who were shipped to Havana, mainly from other Caribbean ports, by merchants based in Cuba, the Danish West Indies, and the United States from 1781 to 1785. Examining the actions of U.S. slave traders in Cuba during the American Revolution also opens up the chance to dramatically increase our understanding of the broader traffic in enslaved people to the island during this period, emphasizing the merchant networks connecting Saint Thomas, Saint Domingue, and Charleston with Havana.

A Ship Route Planning Method under the Sailing Time Constraint

This paper realizes the simultaneous optimization of a vessel’s course and speed for a whole voyage within the estimated time of arrival (ETA), which can ensure the voyage is safe and energy-saving through proper planning of the route and speed. Firstly, a dynamic sea area model with meteorological and oceanographic data sets is established to delineate the navigable and prohibited areas; secondly, some data are extracted from the records of previous voyages, to train two artificial neural network models to predict fuel consumption rate and revolutions per minute (RPM), which are the keys to route optimization. After that, speed configuration is introduced to the optimization process, and a simultaneous optimization model for the ship’s course and speed is proposed. Then, based on a customized version of the A* algorithm, the optimization is solved in simulation. Two simulations of a ship crossing the North Pacific show that the proposed methods can make navigation decisions in advance that ensure the voyage’s safety, and compared with a naive route, the optimized navigation program can reduce fuel consumption while retaining an approximately constant time to destination and adapting to variations in oceanic conditions.

Prediction of Ship's Speed Through Ground Using the Previous Voyage's Drift Speed

Prediction of Ship's Speed Through Ground Using the Previous Voyage's Drift Speed

Joseph Smith Sr.’s China Adventure

Joseph Smith Sr.’s China Adventure

A whale of a tale: A One Environmental Health approach to study metal pollution in the Sea of Cortez

Marine metal pollution is an emerging concern for human, animal, and ecosystem health. We considered metal pollution in the Sea of Cortez, which is a relatively isolated sea rich in biodiversity. Here there are potentially significant anthropogenic inputs of pollution from agriculture and metal mining. We considered the levels of 23 heavy metals and selenium in seven distinct cetacean species found in the area. Our efforts considered two different periods of time: 1999 and 2016/17. We considered the metal levels in relation to (1) all species together across years, (2) differences between suborders Odontoceti and Mysticeti, (3) each species individually across years, and (4) gender differences for each of these comparisons. We further compared metal levels found in sperm whale skin samples collected during these voyages to a previous voyage in 1999, to assess changes in metal levels over a longer timescale. The metals Mg, Fe, Al, and Zn were found at the highest concentrations across all species and all years. For sperm whales, we observed decreased metal levels from 1999 to 2016/2017, except for iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), and chromium (Cr), which either increased or did not change during this time period. These results indicate a recent change in the metal input to the Sea of Cortez, which may indicate a decreased concern for human, animal, and ecosystem health for some metals, but raises concern for the genotoxic metals Cr and Ni. This work was supported by NIEHS grant ES016893 (J.P.W.) and numerous donors to the Wise Laboratory.

Iron availability influences nutrient drawdown in the Heard and McDonald Islands region, Southern Ocean

At the southern part of the northern Kerguelen Plateau (Southern Ocean) is an active volcanic hotspot, hosting volcanically active Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI), the former of which is largely covered by glaciers. While offshore waters are persistently Fe limited, typical of the broader Southern Ocean, near shore waters over the Kerguelen plateau show variability in Fe distributions and support a high biomass of phytoplankton during austral spring-summer. This study investigates dissolved iron (DFe) and macronutrient distributions in waters surrounding HIMI during the Heard Earth-Ocean-Biosphere Interactions (HEOBI) voyage in January–February 2016. Comparison of surface DFe with macronutrient concentrations shows that the majority of the plateau is Fe limited in late summer and, based on comparison with previous voyages, also Fe limited in different years and earlier in the bloom season. The distribution of DFe drawdown from estimated winter inventories to observed late summer inventories shows that DFe availability drives macronutrient uptake on the plateau. The drawdown of silicic acid decreases relative to nitrate drawdown in proximity to HIMI, in agreement with classical diatom nutrient uptake behaviour under iron replete conditions. Comparison of Fe: nitrate and Fe: phosphate drawdown ratios with expected uptake stoichiometry suggest that recycling of Fe increases with distance from Fe sources on the plateau. Lastly, comparison with data from previous voyages shows that DFe distribution varies inter-annually due to complex oceanographic conditions on the plateau, with greatest variability observed over the rough bathymetry and strongly tidally influenced region closest to HIMI. Together these data highlight the central role of Fe in driving nutrient uptake and stoichiometry in the HIMI region of the Kerguelen Plateau.

ESTIMATION OF THE TIME OF THE VESSEL'S ARRIVAL AT PORT

Purpose. The paper aims at the assessment of the probability of the vessel’s arrival at the port at a specified time interval considering the different combination of the voyage charter-party (C/P) terms and their wordings. Methodology. The structure of the vessel's time in port was formed considering the C/P terms and their wordings. The time intervals for which it is actual to estimate the time of arrival were defined on the basis of the theory of transport processes and systems. The normal distribution law was used to estimate of the probability of a vessel's arrival at a port at a specified time interval. Findings. The probability of the vessels arrival at the port of loading in the C/P in question was searched in three most actual situations: 1) the vessel's opening date is known; 2) the vessel's arrival to the port of discharging on previous C/P is known and 3) the vessels position on the passage to the port of discharging in previous voyage is known. For these three situation were estimate the probability of the duration of the time elements from the opening point and present position points to the port of loading in the C/P in question far as the C/P terms indicate the beginning the duration of the laytime. Originality. For the first time the vessel's time in port was structured considering the C/P terms and their possible wordings, their impact on the time in port was determined, and the probability of vessel's arrival at specified time intervals was searched. Practical value. The obtained results can be used in voyage planning (during fixing the C/P and further voyage performance) by estimation the duration of the time in port considering the C/P terms and wordings of the beginning and duration of laytime and time of the vessel's arrival.

Saturn's rings and associated ring plasma cavity: Evidence for slow ring erosion

We re-examine the radio and plasma wave observations obtained during the Cassini Saturn orbit insertion period, as the spacecraft flew over the northern ring surface into a radial distance of 1.3 Rs (over the C-ring). Voyager era studies suggest the rings are a source of micro-meteoroid generated plasma and dust, with theorized peak impact-created plasma outflows over the densest portion of the rings (central B-ring). In sharp contrast, the Cassini Radio and Plasma Wave System (RPWS) observations identify the presence of a ring-plasma cavity located in the central portion of the B-ring, with little evidence of impact-related plasma. While previous Voyager era studies have predicted unstable ion orbits over the C-ring, leading to field-aligned plasma transport to Saturn's ionosphere, the Cassini RPWS observations do not reveal evidence for such instability-created plasma ‘fountains’. Given the passive ring loss processes observed by Cassini, we find that the ring lifetimes should extend >109 years, and that there is limited evidence for prompt destruction (loss in <100Myrs).

"Revenge upon a Dumb Brute": Casting the Whale in Film Adaptations ofMoby-Dick

UPON THE 2011 ANNOUNCEMENT of the discovery of the sunken antebellum ship The Two Brothers, a rash of Wikipedia pages instantly broke out, opening up new dialogue about the previous voyage of its captain George Pollard Jr. on the whaleship Essex. The discussion gravitated toward Pollard's link the fictional character Ahab in Herman Melville's novel MobyDick; the Essex, like Ahab's Pequod, sunk in the aftermath of a hull-shattering collision.1 But did the whale Intentionally ram the ship's hull? Is it in the nature of this essentially docile creature to attack in such a manner? The history of film adaptations of Moby-Dick, the general subject of this article, evolved out of the widely held belief that whales are in fact capable of such malevolence. The representation of the whale as evil or malicious reflects a number of factors, especially developments in film technology and the popularity of monsters. The popularity of monsters in film and attitudes toward animals, I argue, coalesce in each adaptation's larger ideological function. Just as Ahab heaps his worldly woes onto the whale, filmmakers have typically made the creature a scapegoat for the culture's political and social frustrations.Questioning the whale's capacity for revenge threatens the core of the legend-largely perpetrated by the tendency to turn Moby-Dick into an action-adventure film-that whales are natural enemies to humans and will seek out and attack ships at sea. To problematize the agency of the whale in film versions of Melville's novel not only threatens to defuse the tension at the core of Melville's narrative, which bloggers desperately wanted to revive in their discussion of Pollard. Such questions also deflate the drama of conventional cinematic storytelling that demands an unambiguous villain. Film thus represents a radical departure from the pages of Moby-Dick, which not only showcase the dramatic potential of such blood vengeance by staging a fierce confrontation between Ahab and Moby Dick, but which also depict sperm whales in their own nautical sanctuary in scenes detailing the animal's peaceful nature.When Melville's Moby-Dick is not following the expansive ruminations of its cerebral and reflective narrator Ishmael on philosophy, ethics, law, science, and other fields, it centers on Ahab's quest for revenge against the notorious white whale that tore away his lower leg in a previous encounter. Ishmael's original intention to ship aboard a whaler as a common sailor goes awry when he finds himself on the Pequod, captained by a madman uninterested in the commercial enterprise of hunting all whales and instead obsessed with vengeance toward one particular creature. Melville interweaves Ishmael's meditations and reveries with Ahab's search for Moby Dick, which eventuates in his sighting and a three-day chase. The confronta- tion ends with the destruction of the Pequod, leaving Ishmael as its sole survivor, clinging to a coffin his shipmate converted into a lifebuoy. Among Ishmael's more poignant ruminations throughout the journey are those about the relation between humans and whales that lead him to value compassion and diversity, a perspective providing a sophisticated counterpoint to Ahab's autocratic rule over the crew and obsessive thirst for power and domination.In film adaptations of Moby-Dick,2 directors have avoided Melville's complex ambiguity and signature delight in ironic, often absurd dissonance in order to highlight the spectacle of the clash of the legendary sea creature and the monomaniacal captain. Film has rendered the whale not in the serene independent existence of his own natural habitat but as a malicious foe capable of matching Ahab's ill will with equal and opposite force. With a few notable exceptions, film has eschewed Melville's complex multi-perspective approach to the whale that includes consideration of the creature's instinct for flight or self-defense and instead has staked its claim on the seemingly blunt alternative of casting him as a predator whose behavior is marked by concerted and tactical aggression. …

Peak electron densities in Saturn's ionosphere derived from the low-frequency cutoff of Saturn lightning

Radio bursts from Saturn lightning have been observed by the Cassini Radio and Plasma Wave Science instrument at frequencies of a few megahertz during several month-long storms since 2004. As the radio waves traverse Saturn's ionosphere on their way to the spacecraft, one can determine the peak electron density from the measurement of the low-frequency cutoff below which the radio bursts are not detected. In this way we obtained 231 profiles of peak electron densities that cover all Saturnian local times at a kronocentric latitude of 35°S, where the storms were spotted by the Cassini camera. Peak electron densities show a large variation at dawn and dusk and are around 5 × 10^4 cm^(−3), in fair agreement with radio occultation measurements at midlatitudes. At noon and midnight, the densities are typically somewhat above 10^5 cm^(−3) and around 10^4 cm^(−3), respectively. The diurnal variation is about 1 to 2 orders of magnitude for averaged profiles over one storm at 35°S. This is somewhat less compared to previous Voyager measurements which showed more than 2 orders of magnitude variation. The diurnal variation as well as the peak electron densities of Saturn's ionosphere tend to decrease with the decreasing solar EUV flux from 2004 until the end of 2009.

Radial variations in the Io plasma torus during the Cassini era

A radial scan through the midnight sector of the Io plasma torus was made by the Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph on 14 January 2001, shortly after closest approach to Jupiter. From these data, Steffl et al. (2004a) derived electron temperature, plasma composition (ion mixing ratios), and electron column density as a function of radius from L = 6 to 9 as well as the total luminosity. We have advanced our homogeneous model of torus physical chemistry (Delamere and Bagenal, 2003) to include latitudinal and radial variations in a manner similar to the two‐dimensional model by Schreier et al. (1998). The model variables include: (1) neutral source rate, (2) radial transport coefficient, (3) the hot electron fraction, (4) hot electron temperature, and (5) the neutral O/S ratio. The radial variation of parameters 1–4 are described by simple power laws, making a total of nine parameters. We have explored the sensitivity of the model results to variations in these parameters and compared the best fit with previous Voyager era models (Schreier et al., 1998), Galileo data (Crary et al., 1998), and Cassini observations (Steffl et al., 2004a). We find that radial variations during the Cassini era are consistent with a neutral source rate of 700–1200 kg/s, an integrated transport time from L = 6 to 9 of 100–200 days, and that the core electron temperature is largely determined by a spatially and temporally varying superthermal electron population.

Insights into Southern Ocean carbon export from the δ13C of particles and dissolved inorganic carbon during the SOIREE iron release experiment

Abstract 13 C contents of total dissolved inorganic carbon ( δ 13 C-DIC) and particulate organic matter ( δ 13 C org ) were determined to examine the factors influencing phytoplankton 13 C contents and carbon export from the SOIREE iron-induced algal bloom. Suspended particles sieved into 200, 70, 20, 5, and 1 micrometer (μm) size classes displayed an extremely large range in δ 13 C org of 8‰. δ 13 C org values increased from −28‰ for the 1–5 μm class to a maximum of −20‰ for the 20–70 μm class, which was dominated by the large pennate diatom Fragilariopsis kerguelensis . Larger particles (70–200 and >200 μm) had similar δ 13 C org to the smaller (1–5 and 5–20 μm) particles, reflecting both the presence of long narrow Thalassiothrix antarctica diatoms and zooplankton that grazed on small phytoplankton. Comparison of results inside and outside the bloom identified cell surface/volume ratio (mainly reflecting cell size) as the dominant control of phytoplankton δ 13 C org , with subsidiary roles for growth rate and seawater [CO 2 ] aq . The SOIREE iron fertilization provoked an increase in the proportion of large (>20 μm) diatoms. This increased the δ 13 C org of the bulk suspended particles within the mixed layer, but there was minimal increase in the δ 13 C org of sub-surface suspended particles and negligible change in the δ 13 C org of particles obtained with sediment traps suspended below the bloom. This suggests that there was no increase in carbon export over the ∼13 day observation period. However, comparison to δ 13 C org results from previous voyages, and to vertical changes in δ 13 C-DIC, suggests that large diatoms control carbon export from the Antarctic Zone over the summer growth season. This result must be viewed with great caution as it is based on very sparse data and involves several assumptions.

Return to Io by the Galileo spacecraft: Plasma observations

On October 11, 1999, a series of high‐resolution plasma measurements were obtained during the second close flyby of Io of the Galileo mission. The closest approach to Io occurred at an altitude of 617 km along the flank of Jupiter's torus plasma flows past this moon. Energy/charge (E/Q) and mass/charge (M/Q) measurements with the plasma analyzer were used to identify the primary ions. At closest approach the ion number densities increased to their maximum values of 1200 cm−3 as calculated from the plasma moments. These ions were dominated by two thermal populations of torus ions with M/Q = 16, one with density and temperature of 800 cm−3 and kT= 40 eV and the other with 200 cm−3 and 160 eV. On the basis of the previous Voyager 1 remote measurements with a spectrometer, these two thermal ion plasmas are identified as O+ and S++, respectively. A substantial population of pickup ions was also observed, with densities of about 100 cm−3 each for S+ and SO+. The plasma bulk flows were strongly deflected around the body of Io, and the speed of the bulk flow increased to a factor of 1.3 greater than that for rigid corotational flow. The torus ion densities just outside of lo's orbit were about 800 cm−3. These densities at the immediate position of Io are smaller by a factor of about 4 relative to those during the first flyby on December 7, 1995, but should not be taken as indicative of a similar decrease in the bulk of the plasma torus. Two major plasma regimes were encountered before the closest approach to Io. The first was a region of hot ions located inside of lo's orbit which was previously identified as the “ribbon” of enhanced plasma densities with Voyager 1 plasma measurements and with ground‐based imagery. The ion composition in the ribbon included O+ and S++. The second region, closer to Io, exhibited a hot torus plasma which was mixed with pickup hydrogen ions. These hydrogen ions were detected at distances beginning at 7.8 RIo from this moon, which were generally inside the Hill (Lagrange) “sphere” for Io's atmosphere.

In ecliptic observations of Jovian radio emissions by Ulysses comparison with Voyager results

During the Ulysses inbound cruise to Jupiter the Unified Radio and Plasma Wave (URAP) experiment observed a variety of the planet's radio components in the frequency range below 1 MHz. Most of these emissions were already detected by the Voyager Radio Astronomy (PRA) and Plasma Wave (PWS) experiments, however with much less sensitivity and different spectral coverage. We identify these different radio components within the URAP dynamic spectra and compare their appearance with the previous Voyager observations.

Dust distribution around Neptune: Grain impacts near the ring plane measured by the Voyager Planetary Radio Astronomy Experiment

During the Voyager 2 flyby of Neptune the planetary radio astronomy (PRA) experiment recorded an intense noise near the equatorial plane around 3.4 and 4.2 RN, as already observed during previous Voyager ring plane crossings at Saturn and Uranus. This noise is interpreted as being due to impact ionization of dust grains striking the spacecraft. We deduce a power law index of the grain mass distribution of about 2. The PRA system is sensitive to particles with radii larger than ∼1.6 μm, and the largest particles, detected near the ring plane, are evaluated to have a radius of ∼10 μm. The spatial dust distribution along the spacecraft trajectory around the two equatorial crossings is found not to be symmetrical with respect to the ring plane and spread over wide regions: over ∼2 RN perpendicularly to the equatorial plane with the densest part concentrated within ∼700 km. The vertical optical depth τ of this dense region is found to be 10−6 – 10−8.

Measurements of stratospheric ethane in the Jovian South Polar Region from infrared heterodyne spectroscopy of the nu9 band near 12 microns

Ethane emission-line profiles from the South Polar Region of Jupiter were measured at sub-Doppler resolving powers (..nu../..delta nu..roughly-equal10/sup 6/) using the Goddard Space Flight Center infrared heterodyne spectrometer. Lines in the /sup R/Q/sub 3/-branch of the ..nu../sub 9/ fundamental of ethane near the P42 /sup 14/C/sup 16/O/sub 2/ laser transition at 829.9273 cm/sup -1/ were observed. Comparison with diode laser laboratory spectroscopy showed that the planetary line widths were limited by velocity broadening (approx.200 MHz) due to Jovian rotation within our field of view (FWHM = 2''). Peak brightness temperatures of the lines were measured to be approx.160 K implying monochromatic (unbroadened) line brightnesses approaching 170 K. Analytical fits to our data were made by direct modeling of the radiative transfer equation using a Voyager 2 polar temperature profile and various vertical profiles for C/sub 2/H/sub 6/, H/sub 2/, and NH/sub 3/. The best fit required a constant C/sub 2/H/sub 6/:H/sub 2/ mixing ratio above the 100 mbar level of 1.2 x 10/sup -6/. These results are compared with previous work and Voyager infrared interferometer spectrometer results.

Jovian Winds from Voyager 2. Part II: Analysis of Eddy Transports

Previous Voyager 1 and 2 Jovian circulation measurements exhibit a large positive correlation between eddy momentum transports and the meridional shear of the zonal wind component, implying a very large rate of conversion of eddy kinetic energy into kinetic energy of the zonal jets. Examination of the vectors mainly responsible for the correlation in our recent Voyager 2 global measurements indicates that it is probably caused by a biased sampling of prominent cloud features associated with circulating eddies. Intensive diagnostic measurements with more nearly uniform spatial sampling show no significant correlation in regions where our original measurements showed strong correlations. If the sampling bias mechanism is fully accounted for in all Jovian circulation measurements, the estimated eddy-to-mean-flow kinetic energy conversion rate may be reduced significantly.

Nutritional and environmental studies on an ocean-going oil tanker. 1. Thermal environment

Collins, K. J., Eddy, T. P., Lee, D. E., and Swann, P. G. (1971). Brit. J. industr. Med., 28, 237-245. Nutritional and environmental studies on an ocean-going oil tanker. I. Thermal environment. Investigations were made on board a modern, air-conditioned oil tanker (S.S. Esso Newcastle ) en route to the Persian Gulf in July to August 1967 in order to study thermal conditions in the working environment, and the nutritional status of the crew, and to examine the interrelationship between climate and nutritional balance. In this introductory paper an account is given of the aims and design of the experiments together with details of the environmental survey. The voyage round Africa lasted one month, with high ambient temperatures of 37·7°C dry bulb, 30·8°C wet bulb (100/87°F) occurring only on the last few days into and out of the Persian Gulf. Mean accommodation temperature was maintained in the zone of comfort throughout, and at 23·9°C (75°F) Corrected Effective Temperature (CET) in the Gulf. On a previous voyage in a tanker without air-conditioning CETs up to 31·6°C (89°F) had been recorded in the accommodation in the same ambient conditions. With exposure to high solar radiation in the Gulf, the deck officer9s cabins and bridge house in the upper superstructure became uncomfortably warm (CET exceeding 26·6°C (80°F)) and in these temperatures skilled performance is likely to deteriorate. The main thermal problems in the working environment were associated with the engine and boiler rooms which were consistently 11 to 17°C (20 to 30°F) higher than ambient temperature. For personnel on watch, the levels of heat stress were high but not intolerable if advantage was taken of the air blowers. Conditions under which emergency or repair tasks were carried out in very hot engine-room spaces were examined and often found to allow only a small margin of safety. Predicted average tolerance times were deduced from the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) scale of heat stress. Additional safeguards in these work situations could include the use of a WBGT meter and self-contained air-conditioned protective clothing, and the provision of air-conditioned cubicles. The CET and WBGT heat stress indices were compared in a wide range of climates with Predicted 4-hr Sweat Rates (P4SR) from 0·1 to 4·9. The regressions of WBGT on P4SR and CET on P4SR were best fitted by quadratic relationships, but the WBGT regression approximated more closely to linearity under the conditions of the present survey.

S.S. Hope in Africa

Ruth B. Mount of Bronxville, New York is the wife of Dr. Lester A. Mount, an emineni neurosurgeon at the Neurological Institute at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. The Mounts have recently returned from Africa where, after a two-week safari, they served as volunteers for a month with the floating medical center, S.S. HOPE, just after the ship arrived in Conakry, Guinea, for a year-long medical training and treatment mission. Mrs. Mount’s love and enthusiasm for Project HOPE is evident in this personal document and in the many speeches on the subject she has given to schools, clubs, and other groups. Additional enthusiasms which keep Mrs. Mount busy are the American Field Service Committee and the Red Cross Blood Bank in Bronxville, for both of which she has acted as Chairman. Health Opportunities for People Everywhere! This is the aim of Project HOPE, a medical mission primarily concerned with the teaching of doctors, nurses, dentists and technicians in nations around the world. Currently stationed in Guinea, West Africa, the S.S. HOPE has made previous voyages to Indonesia, Peru and Ecuador. Our own love affair with HOPE began three years ago when we viewed a documentary film showing the work of HOPE in Indonesia. We knew at once that this was a project we had to do something about, and therein lies our story! Project HOPE is the brainchild of Dr. William B. Walsh, a dedicated Washington D.C. physician, who secured from the government the loan of a former Navy hospital ship which had been retired to the mothball fleet. Then, with funds contributed by people like