A Herculean Effort: Complex Collaboration to Rescue ROVs

• Published in: Oceanography (Washington, D.C.) Vol. 35; no. 1; p. 32
• Main Authors: Fundis, Allison, Wishnak, Samantha
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Rockville Oceanography Society 01-03-2022
• Subjects: Expeditions; Ocean floor; Offshore; Submergence; Underwater exploration; Underwater vehicles; Unmanned vehicles
• ISSN: 1042-8275; 2377-617X

Fundis and Wishnak explain the complex collaboration to rescue ROVs. In the middle of the 2021 Nautilus expedition season, the Ocean Exploration Trust benefited from precisely this sort of community connection. On Aug 26, 2021, their remotely operated vehicles unexpectedly became detached from E/V Nautilus in the middle of a dive in waters over 2,100 m deep at Endeavour Ridge, approximately 200 km offshore British Columbia, Canada. Thanks to a rallying of support from their partners, colleagues, and collaborators, just one week after the detachment, both ROVs were recovered from the seafloor. In two dives over the course of 26 hours, a team from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Deep Submergence Lab deployed ROV Jason from the University of Washington's R/V Thompson and were able to work with the team aboard Nautilus to safely rescue both vehicles.