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Nauticos Team

Use the links below to read about the Nauticos Team.

Dave Jourdan that's me, writer of this journal. I'm responsible for getting Nauticos into this whole thing. As the president of Nauticos, I don't go to sea with every mission, but I just couldn't not come on this one! I have a background in submarines, have worked over the years in navigation, and am largely responsible for the company's RENAV expertise (a system that we developed that allows us to more accurately pin point underwater locations). Joe Crabtree and I started this company so that we would have interesting jobs---and we do! I always wanted to be an astronaut when I was young, so this is the next best thing. The deep ocean is a huge unexplored frontier, and we're trying to change that.

Elgen Long is our Expedition Leader. Also, author, pilot, member of the Explorer's Club, and (along with his wife, Marie) 30-plus year Earhart researcher. Elgen flew PBY flying boats as a radioman in WW II at the age of 15 (he had to lie about his age to get in ... I'm sure it was his last lie!). After the war, he was a pilot with the Flying Tigers, and often flew the area of the world we are searching. He also made his own World Flight, solo, in a twin-engine Piper Navaho. But he did it sideways ... pole to pole. Elgen won the Gold Air Medal for that feat in 1971. If you want to know something about Earhart or her plane, ask Elgen ... he'll know. And Marie will be able to find the document to back it up. Elgen has led the navigation team and helped us define the search area. He is not assigned to a watch, so he can come and go as he pleases. Elgen is also working on another book, and has set up an office in his stateroom. Marie is home, but their friends & family are keeping her company.

Tom Dettweiler is the Operations Manager, also VP of Nauticos. Tom is the best in the business, having spent his career learning how to manage operations at sea. Tom was Science Officer on the Calypso with Cousteau, spent years developing technologies to mine the deep oceans (leading to today's search technology), and worked with Bob Ballard at Woods Hole's Deep Submergence Lab. In fact, Tom was the Operations Manager for the TITANIC discovery. Tom has also worked extensively with US Navy underwater programs ('nuff said about that). He has been with Nauticos for over twelve years, and has led the company to many discoveries (which is another story). Tom has built the team running this operation today.
Tom is not standing a regular watch, as he is the lead analyst and has a lab set up (with four flat screens surrounding his desk) to re-process all of the sonar data to be sure we don't miss anything. Tom is setting up the search plan, directing the ship coordination, and leading daily briefs. He is on call for anything interesting.

Shawn Dann, the midwatch leader, is our Operations Assistant and ocean engineering technician. Shawn came to us from the Navy, and sailed with our DAKAR expedition in 1999 as a Navy representative. He is a storehouse of practical knowledge on all of our systems, and is a natural leader. He is also unassuming, and loves a practical joke. He and Sue duct-taped 36-pound lead weights to Tom B's steel-toed shoes last night (Tom carelessly left them in Ops when he switched to sneaks). Shawn feels that NOMAD is his baby, and you feel confident he can fix anything (especially if Jay is around).

Spence King is Shawn's assistant for the watchsection, and may be our most experienced sailor (next to Tom). A retired Commander, Spence was in the Navy salvage business, last served at the Naval War College, and represents Nauticos up in Newport, RI. Spence works for us part-time, and also captains cruise ships up and down the east coast. He really knows haw to make the most of a cruise, even a science expedition, with his Sea School program (more on that later). Spence can actually take a celestial fix with a sextant, and is a fount of nautical lore. He is comfortable and competent at sea, which is a great asset.

Jeff Palshook is Nauticos' lead RENAV engineer, former submariner, and an important member of our Navy support team back east. Fortunately, thanks to others pitching in and an understanding customer, Jeff was able to be spared for the duration of this trip. Jeff has worked on this project for several years, and has recently completed a Monte-Carlo statistical analysis of the problem, which has helped define our search area.

Sue Morris is the Operations Tech on the watch, and also happens to be my sister. It is fun to have her along, and she is doing a great job working vehicle maintenance. She is also Spence's cohort in organizing activities, and Shawn's cohort in practical jokes. Although she has only been working in Operations for a year or so, "Sonar Girl" has caught on very well and seems to enjoy the work. Since we are on opposite watches, I haven't spent as much time as I expected with her, but we talk during watch turnover and for a while afterward.

Rod Blocksome is from Rockwell Collins, a radio engineer who helped us with the navigation analysis. He is serving as a general watch stander, and like everyone else gets to fly the sled, watch the ISIS, check the aft deck periodically, and participate in launch & recoveries. When not on watch, he and Tom Vinson are working radio communications, both with other ham enthusiasts and with Cedar Rapids where we get comm links to regular telephone lines. We are grateful for the occasional calls home!

Robert Witzleb, a Lt. Commander from the Naval Oceanographic Office, is tasked to provide weather forecasting, but as he says, there are forecasts you can do with no data, but they aren't very good. Hopefully, the Navy will let us know if a typhoon is on the way. Robert is a former Tomcat pilot, and he is now attempting to put an Oceanography degree to use. He does represent the Navy well, wearing his uniform at every photo op, and has been a great addition to the team, serving as a general watchstander.

Carl Hoffman is a free-lance journalist sent by our media partner, and has been assigned to the watchbill as a general watchstander. He has written a book called "Hunting Warbirds" which Tom & I read some time ago, and has done some writing for National Geographic. He has now recovered from his rope burns and is busy trying to stay up all the time so he won't miss anything. He tells some great stories about his "book tour from hell".

Tom Bethge is the section leader, as well as the Operations Department Manager back home. As his entire department is here at sea, it's appropriate that he is here, too! Tom is a logistics genius, and was in charge of the entire operation prep and mobilization. He turned over operations management to Tom D after the ship was safely in Hawaii, ready to sail. It is to his credit and the ops team that we are so well prepared. Tom is very patient and meticulous, especially with procedures. We plan, rehearse, prepare, and are ready with a purpose when things start happening. And if anything goes wrong, he is ready to help us learn from the experience. Tom is also a fount of quips, like "That's a good thing" and "That's way above average", and is the king of the understatement. For example, he refers to the prospect of the vehicle crashing into the bottom as "sampling".

Jay Ellis is our Ops Technician Extraordinaire. He is indefatigable, and can be called upon to fix any mechanical problem (and usually is). It is fascinating to see him reconfigure the vehicle sensor arrangement or cable runs, making modifications as necessary in the field. His albatross of the moment is the winch level wind, a device that carefully lays the cable on (and takes it off) the reel evenly. He has found that, when it hangs up, a tap with a hammer will usually get it going again. Now that we have traced it to be an electronics problem, he still wants to tap it with a hammer! Never send a mechanical guy to fix an electronics problem! But, without Jay and Shawn, it's hard to imagine how we could keep all of this gear running.

Mike Davis is our very talented Software and Electronic Engineer, who keeps all the electrons flowing and the bytes in their places. Mike has been a major architect of most of the software we are using, He puts us to shame by working out every day and eating well ... somebody has to bring the average up! Mike has been indispensable out here making sure the software is working, troubleshooting electronics, and helping Spence generate random numbers for the Search Pool. Mike also plays bass guitar for Naked Blue, a great local band, and brought his bass along to keep his fingers limber.

Julie Nelson is our corporate counsel, Diesel Queen, sonar watchstander, tie- wrap debris scavenger, star log keeper, and is at this moment portraying the Victim in the crew's SAR (Search and Rescue) drills & training. She was tasked to hide somewhere in the berthing spaces while teams of the crew tried to find her wearing blindfolds (simulating search in a dark & smoke-filled room). Then they strapped her to a board and carried her out of the wardroom, to the aft deck, up one level, and to the foc'sle. I got photos of the whole thing (where was the media team??) Julie is making an effort to experience everything she can on this trip, doing mechanical work on NOMAD, standing all of the watchstations, operating the diesel, and in general making herself very useful. She is always cheerful, but at the same time serious about our work. She was a big contributor to the development of the project, and supported Tom B in shipchecks in Seattle as well as writing the ship charter.

Bragg Sherrer is on loan to us from the Navy, specifically the Naval Oceanographic Office, and we were very happy to have him aboard, as we had worked with him on Midway and knew he was good. Bragg has been a willing worker, great shipmate, and talented technician. He has spent a lot of time on the ISIS, and helped do some of the initial contact analysis that gets passed on to Tom. Last night, when we had the level-wind incident, he was out there in the rain with the rest of us helping in any way he could. He'd be welcome to join us on any expedition.

Jon Thompson is our Exhibits Manager, as well as an investor, and is out here so we can take advantage of the time (not that there has been much) to work with Julie, Tom, & Jonathan to begin planning the upcoming exhibit program. In the meanwhile, he is pitching in any way he can to stand sonar & winch watches, as well as collateral duties as Drogue Mon, Cup Meister, and Newscaster of the Stars (thanks to feeds from wife Susan). Jon has been at sea before with one of the TITANIC expeditions, and managed the Wonder Series of exhibits for the City of Memphis. He also organized two successful TITANIC traveling exhibitions. He has been a pleasure to have aboard, although we all know Susan would be much more fun (just kidding). And we do need an Army rep.

Tom Vinson is our lead Collins radio engineer, and co-operator (with Rod) of our HF radio station, which allows occasional phone calls home through Radio Central in Cedar Rapids. We all really appreciate their support, as well as that of Rockwell-Collins, which is sponsoring their time and the equipment. Tom & Rod have worked for three years, and with their cohorts in the Collins Amateur Radio Club (CARC, an oxymoron if I ever heard one) have spent about 3,000 hours conducting radio transmission analysis for our project. Tom is a pleasure to have aboard, and he and Rod have proven to be great sailors (even though it's their first time at sea and they still are wearing "the patch").

Jonathan Blair is Nauticos Director of Media Development, and photo-journalist for National Geographic, veteran of nearly 40 articles in the Magazine. One of Jonathan's former projects was the I-52, so he has experience working at sea. He joined us at the end of last year and has been instrumental in pulling together the media aspect of our project. Jonathan has traveled all over pursuing his images, and has plenty of stories to tell. They are all so fantastic, that they have to be true!

Kristin Whiting is our correspondent, and will be reporting on the expedition from her point of view. She only found out she was going on this potential two- month voyage to nowhere only a couple of days ahead of time. We prepared ourselves for so long in advance, it seems hard to believe she could do it! She wasn't told the straight story, though. She thought that there was supposed to be as supply ship, and there would be new snacks! Although she struggled with seasickness, a cold, and being thrust into the company of a bunch of sailors and engineers, she adjusted quickly and has been making the best of the experience. She is beginning to appreciate the benefits of being away from civilization for a while!

Bill Mills is our videographer, also veteran of the I-52, and we're really glad to have him aboard. He has been great to work with, and very eager to understand everything we're doing out here. Tonight he was standing a watch in Ops, flying the vehicle for a couple of hours. Bill also had to make a quick adjustment to joining our team, hauling an immense amount of equipment across half the ocean, and trying to make it all fit and work in a difficult environment. I'm sure it's tougher when you are not already part of a group and have to fit in a new environment, but Bill has done well.

Colleen Hughes came out to sea for the ten day transit from Seattle to Hawaii with Shawn and David. During the voyage they got the ship organized, stowed all the gear and tested NOMAD. Colleen is our office manager for our Hanover location. We try to do a lot of cross training at Nauticos, getting people out to sea that wouldn't ordinarily go. It's a great opportunity and really makes for great teamwork. Anyone who has ever made a transit out of Seattle can appreciate what these guys were in for---they have some of the most stormy seas on the planet. I don't think those guys ever removed their seasickness patches! But Colleen was a good sport and worked harder than anyone.

David Dettweiler also made the 10 day transit from Seattle to Honolulu. In addition to being Tom's son, David also has a background in the Coast Guard. Being at sea was nothing new to David, although he has spent the last couple of years on shore and recently joined the the company as a receptionist. The 10 days at sea was a sort of working interview for David who aspired to join the Operations team at Nauticos. Welcome aboard David! We see more at sea time in your future!