Two holes were drilled at Site 1246 (Table T1), under good weather conditions. Wind speed was 5-25 kt, gusting to 28 kt; seas were 4-9 ft; swell was 6-12 ft; and the prevailing sea-surface current was from the north at ~0.5 kt. Hole 1245A was drilled for LWD on 19 July 2002, and we returned on 11 August, near the middle of Leg 204, to core Hole 1246B. The APC temperature (APCT) tool was run five times, and no other special tools were deployed at this site (see Table T4 in the "Leg 204 Summary" chapter).
The first helicopter rendezvous took place at Site 1246 on Friday 19 July 2002. The helicopter arrived at 1247 hr and was away again with passengers at 1307 hr. Pressure core sampler (PCS) scientist Jerry Dickens and Fugro piezoprobe engineers Terry Langsdorf and Ko-min Tjok disembarked from the JOIDES Resolution, while sedimentologist Xin Su and HYACINTH engineer Thjunjoto came aboard.
Hole 1246A was spudded at 0300 hr on Friday 19 July, and we conducted LWD/measurement while drilling (MWD) from the seafloor at a drilling rate of 25-30 m/hr, to a depth of 180 mbsf without difficulty. Real-time data were transmitted to the surface to evaluate formation properties. Two stands were pulled up from total depth (TD) without rotating (sliding test) to evaluate the drilling effects on the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR-MRP) tool (see "Downhole Tools and Pressure Coring"). Tools were pulled to the rig floor at 1900 hr, and the data from both Holes 1245A and 1246A were downloaded. Total bit run was ~20 hr.
Hole 1246B was cored to 136.7 mbsf using the APC. Five measurements of in situ temperature were made using the APCT tool. No in situ pressure measurements were made, nor were any PCS cores taken at this site. There were no deployments of HYACINTH pressure cores.