Interviews: Expedition Leader J. Patrick Hickey
Pat—shown here inside Alvin—says
that one of the best parts of piloting the sub is “I don’t
have to work in an office.”
Question:
What are your main responsibilities as expedition leader?
Pat:
I work closely with the captain of Atlantis in planning
the joint operations of the sub and ship for science, and I act
as a primary liaison with the scientists who come onboard. I am
also responsible for all the at-sea aspects of Alvin operations,
including logistics, certification, and pilot status. When we’re
at sea and it involves Alvin, the buck stops with me.
Question:
When did you start working at the Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution?
Pat:
In the mid-1980s, I was working in the offshore commercial diving
business all over the world and I met someone who told me about
WHOI and the Alvin program. I found out that WHOI was accepting
applications for people to work in the Alvin group, so I submitted
an application. After about six months I was interviewed, and accepted
the job offer in 1987.
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| Pat has been to the seafloor more than
540 times in the research submersible Alvin. He started
working with the Alvin group at the Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution in 1987. |
Question:
Growing up, what kind of career did you
want?
Pat:
School was OK, but I liked fixing things more than reading books.
Also, my dad had an offshore oil service business, and at a young
age I got involved in many aspects of his business. I knew when
I was a teenager that I wanted to focus my career on offshore industries
and diving.
Question:
How did you acquire the skills you needed to become the
expedition leader?
Pat:
Initially I gained a tremendous amount of experience before graduating
high school, by working with my dad in offshore oil industries.
After a year of college, I decided to move on to a technical commercial
diving school and then worked in the oil industry for about 10 years
with diving, submersible, and remotely operated vehicle systems.
I worked my way up to supervisory positions during that period.
Then I moved on to work at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,
and moved into the expedition leader slot when it opened because
of my oilfield background and accumulated Alvin experience.
Question:
What advice do you have for people interested in your
line of work?
Pat:
Experience is essential. So is learning principles of physics, mechanics,
acoustics, and electronics. Plus, working with many different scientists
helps. That has given me a great view of the types of instruments
they need to do their work and lots of information about many different
oceanographic fields, including marine geology, chemistry, and biology.
Question:
What do you like most about your job?
Pat:
The people. We get a new science crew onboard about every month
and it is really great to share their ideas and enthusiasm. You
never do the same thing twice. Plus I don’t have to work in
an office.
Question:
What questions are you most often asked about diving in Alvin?
Pat:
Kids always ask how we go to the bathroom in the sub. The answer
is, we have this bottle…
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