T
HE LATIN WORD for senator is Conscriptus , making it an inevitable name for a project established by students of a high school named for Connecticut Senator Brien McMahon .
The modern-day RV Conscriptus is a small , unmanned vessel with a tracker inside , built by the students in the Marine Science Academy at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk , Connecticut , whose aim is to provide experience in marine industry and science . “ Students worked for several weeks in different teams with a variety of responsibilities to contribute to the completion of the boat ,” said Eva Bartush , the school ’ s Department Chair of Marine Sciences . “ It was a really incredible program that taught the students teamwork and a wide variety of skills .”
Conscriptus was set afloat in the western Atlantic at the end of May last year and allowed to drift as wind and currents dictated . After enduring well over eight months at sea , including an encounter with Hurricane Danielle in September , the intrepid explorer threaded her way between Scotland ’ s Orkney and Shetland Islands to finally arrive at Telavåg , near Bergen on Norway ’ s west coast , on February 10 , 2023 .
30 OVER THE BOW USCGAUX FIRST DISTRICT SOUTHERN REGION - WINTER 2023