This quilt is part of my JOIDES Resolution Expedition 390 (South Atlantic Transect I) collection. by clicking on the tag 390 quilt, you can see all the quilts I made before and after my two months on the South Atlantic Ocean.

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This quilt is a nod to a mode of communication once used extensively in the maritime community, and to the crew members on JOIDES Resolution that play a significant role in getting scientists access to subsurface ocean material.

First, the colors… The colors used in this quilt are intentional. The bright red color represents the work coveralls worn by the Siem drillers. The three silver/metallic stripes in the quilt are for the three areas of stripes on the coveralls – on top of the shoulders, around the upper arms and patches on the back, and around the lower legs. The black squares on the front of the quilt are letters in Morse code and are a nod to the black logo and lettering on the back of the coveralls for Siem Offshore.

Morse code was used in the quilt to convey a message that was shared across the ship intercom while drilling was underway. This Morse code chart (from Wikimedia Commons), along with an image you can zoom into of the quilt, should help one decode the message! I also used same black fabric for an entire letter to assist with solving the puzzle.

I asked the JR Captain of Expedition 390 if Morse code is still in use on the ship. He shared that all officers should be very familiar with Morse code, as vessel fog signals and maneuvering signals are done in Morse code and have specific signal letter meanings. For example, “E” is used for “I am altering my course to starboard.” The letter “B” is used for “I am being towed (fog signal).” The letter “U” means “You are running into danger.” And the letter “O” is for man overboard. He also stated that Morse code can be used for more complex communication, and can be done by means of flashing light, sound, radio telephony, or hand flags. All of these codes are described in the International Code of Signals, which is published by the IMO (International Maritime Organization) and is required to be onboard all ships. However, with the use of modern radio and satellite communications, the need to use Morse code is rare.

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Quilt Details

The red and silver fabric was purchased at The Crabby Quilter (Annapolis, MD). The black-patterned fabrics are a Three Cats Shweshwe fabric manufactured by Da Gama Textiles in South Africa. For Expedition 390, JOIDES Resolution departed from and returned to port in Cape Town, South Africa.

Quilt measures 56 inches tall by 44 inches wide and was completed on July 1, 2023.