Research Assignment Unmanned Maritime System - Search and Rescue

On September 29, 2015, the El Faro cargo vessel was dispatched from Jacksonville, FL, bound for San Juan, Puerto Rico. The El Faro was transporting containers topside and vehicles and trailers below deck.  At the time of departure, weather reporting indicated a tropical storm named Joachin tacking northwest towards the Caribbean, with a warning the storm could develop into a hurricane.

On October 1, 2015, the el Faro Captain reported they had lost a top side hatch, were taking on water and listing to 15 degrees. Shortly after this transmission the Captain reported they had lost their propulsion and the engineers were unable to restart it. No further transmissions were received from the vessel. The El Faro sank in 15,000 feet of water on October 1, 2015.

The U.S. Coast Guard launched the initial search and rescue operation. On October 7, 2015, after locating two potential fields of wreckage the Coast Guard called off the rescue operation and announced they would be working with the National Transportation Safety Board to locate the black box recorder aboard the vessel.  On October 19, 2015, the U.S. Navy utilized one of their ocean tugs, Apache, to search the underwater debris fields. On November 1, 2015, the Navy announced a UMV had positively identified the El Faro wreckage via images.

The Apache is normally equipped with side scan sonar, equipment to detect the pings from the vessels 'black box' and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The ROV in this case was the CURV-21. CURV-21 stands for cable-controlled undersea recovery vehicle. The CURVE-21 is eight-foot long, five-foot wide, and uses sonar for location/detection. This ROV also has the ability to record digital still and video images utilizing high-resolution equipment. The CURV-21 possesses the ability to operate to a depth of 20,000 feet.

According to the Phoenix International, Underwater Solutions Worldwide web site the CURV-21 contains the following sensors specifically designed for operations in the maritime environment:

1200 kHz RDI doppler velocity log 

Watson attitude and heading reference system (E304)   

Honeywell electronic compass (HMR3000) 

Simrad altimeter

PRIZM fiber optic multiplexer

Emergency locator - Acoustic beacon

Radio Direction Finder

Sunwest SS3300 CTFM Sonar on Vertical Elevator  

High resolution color video camera

Wide angel, low light black and white video camera

Insight Scorpio digital still camera & strobe 

4 - 250 Watt Halogen Lights

Dual 400W Deep Sea Power & Light HMI Lights

The CURV-21 is a highly sophisticated UMS. The one significant issue which would increase the system's effectiveness would be to eliminate the tether, making the UMS autonomous or semi-autonomous.  There is new technology under development which utilizes acoustic signals and pulses of light (optical signals) to transmit digital information through seawater. WHOI engineers, have created a device which allows for the ability to switch between different bandwidths effectively utilizing both types of signals to control and communicate with the UMS.

When conducting a search and rescue operation the addition of unmanned aerial systems could greatly enhance most operations. The UAS would cover a much greater area significantly faster as do the USCG and USN SAR aircraft currently in operation. The UAS offers a different optic and could carry and deploy sensors to narrow the filed for the UMS. Depending on the operation the UAS could also be used to rapidly deliver safety and/or medical equipment as well as food and water.

When comparing the UMS to a manned vessel the differences present themselves immediately. The UMS can be designed much smaller thus eliminating significant costs up front. The UMS does not need to carry personnel, nor gear and provisions to maintain those personnel.  The UMS can operate in deeper and more confined environments where a manned system might not be able to operate and as technology advances the endurance aspect for specific missions will also come out in favor of an UMS.

References:

Byrne, M. (2015, October 6). Lost at Sea: The El Faro Tragedy. Portland Press Herald. Retrieved June 10, 2016, from http://www.centralmaine.com/2015/10/06/lost-at-sea-el-faros-fateful-journey/

LaGrone, S. (2015, October 15). U.S. Navy Deploying Search Team to Find Lost Merchant Ship El Faro. USNO News. Retrieved on June 10 2016, from https://news.usni.org/2015/10/15/u-s-navy-deploying-search-team-to-find-lost-merchant-ship-el-faro

Lamothe, D. (2014, March 24). Pentagon’s Growing Fleet of Underwater Drones Could Find Missing Airline, FP, The Complex. Retrieved June 10, 2016, from http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/03/26/pentagons-growing-fleet-of-underwater-drones-could-find-missing-airline/

Levin, D. (2013). Wireless communication system for real-time ROV control. Retrieved on May 5 2016, from https://www.whoi.edu/news-release/nereus-optical-modem

Phoenix International, Underwater Solutions Worldwide. CURV 21 Specifications. (2016) Retrieved on June 10, 2016, from http://www.phnx-international.com/phnx/phoenix-equipment/specifications/curv21-specifications/