Photo & Video Log
This page contains photos and videos taken during the AUVfest 2008, which took place in Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay from May 12 to 23. Click on any image to view a larger version and for additional information. If a movie camera icon is present, a QuickTime video can be viewed by clicking on the image. Other video formats are available on the linked pages. If a Podcast icon is present, a video or audio file is available for download or you can subscribe to the RSS Podcast Feed.
If a slideshow icon is present, a visual log of exploration images can be viewed. You can scroll through them one by one, or select the play button for an automatic slideshow.
(HR) = "High Resolution" images available.
Video & Slideshows
What Are AUVs?
See how the sonar on an AUV is able to provide images of underwater objects. (Quicktime, 1.1 Mb.)
What Are AUVs?
The Transphibian, an AUV used by the Navy for mine identification and neutralization, is similarly nimble. (Quicktime, 2.8 Mb.)
What Are AUVs?
The REMUS AUV demonstrating maneuverability in a pool test site. (Quicktime, 1.7 Mb.)
View the AUVfest 2008 slideshow of Navy mine-hunting robots that are helping NOAA explore sunken history.
Images
May 19
The SAS-12 AUV produced this very high resolution image of the Prudence Island shipwreck using its sidescan sonar. (HR)
May 18
The untrained eye might not notice this as anything different from a rock, but this is actually the muzzle of an 18th-century nine-pound gun. (HR)
May 18
Tufts of filamentous cyanobacteria form large accumulations of individual microscopic cells. (HR)
May 18
AUVs sensed a cylindrical object beneath the sea floor that archaeologists believe to be a cannon.
May 17
The torpedo weapons recovery vessel, or TWR 841, is used for hauling and launching AUVs during AUVfest. (HR)
May 16
AUV teams are very concerned about locating their AUVs in rough seas, because the vehicle’s report of its location is not always correct.
May 16
The BPAUV is lifted by an A-frame and placed in the water during Wednesday's calm weather. (HR)
May 14
This Cerberus cannon, used in key battles in both the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War, was recovered in the 1970s.
May 14
Personal items onboard the Cerberus, including this shoe, were effectively preserved for over 200 years under a protective layer of silt.
What Are AUVs?
This AUV runs on solar power. The amount of power available and the weight of the power source are major factors for AUV designers and users.
What Are AUVs?
Sonar mounted on AUVs can quickly and accurately provide images of underwater objects. (HR)
AUV Intelligence
AUVs are not driven by operators. Their ability to sense their surroundings is called "situational awareness," meaning they can detect and avoid obstacles in their path. (HR)
AUV Intelligence
The REMUS is launched with a video mosaic camera to survey Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
Ship History
John Mecray painting, depicts the British frigate Cerberus engaged in a skirmish with the American sloop Providence.
Ship History
The HMS Cerberus was named for the three-headed dog with a snake's tail that guarded the gates to hell in Greek mythology.
Ship History
A sister ship of HMS Cerberus in the Coventry class of frigates was HMS Active, shown here in Boston Harbor.
Underwater Mines
The BPAUV is part of the Mine Countermeasures Mission Module delivered to the USS Freedom in 2007.
Underwater Mines
The REMUS AUV, helped clear the Iraqi port Umm Qasr in 2003, the first successful wartime deployment of an autonomous underwater vehicle.
Underwater Mines
In 1991, the USS Tripoli sustained a 16- x 20-ft hole below the water line from a contact mine.