ROPOS Launches at Barkley

May 28th @ 8:35am - Bright and early this morning I was able to find a great viewpoint on the aft deck from which to watch the launch of ROPOS (Remotely Operated Platform for Ocean Science). A giant, purpose-built crane lifted the SUV-sized ROV off the deck and over the side of the ship into the sea without much ceremony. ROPOS hovered at the surface for a minute before blowing its jets in a spray of frothing seawater and plunging down into the depths. After the deck crew deployed a string of 'lemons' (large, yellow, football-shaped floats to mark the position of the cable on the surface), the action moved from the brightness of the ship's deck to the contrastingly dark operations centre.

 

Blog post and photos (bottom series) by Scott Doehler
Marine Educator