Originally Posted by
lewko
OK. You know more about ROVs than I do, but I was under the impression that Ocean Shield shipped out with a TPL, an AUV and a little ROV (maybe not a Remus 6000, but still...) They also have the Echo standing by with a lot of other electronics.
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There is also a lot of mixing of terminology so an AUV can be a ROV. I don't really know what the boundary of the definition is. I couldn't find a verification of which ROV is on OS. Anyone know for sure?
Thanks for your post. Now that you mention it, I recall reading that the CURV is deployed on the Ocean Shield. The CURV is a USN asset, designed to be deployed on "vessels of opportunity". Ocean Shield, like many offshore vessels is a "vessel of opportunity" for ROVs, specifically "work class" ROVs or WROVs, such as the CURV, as well as for AUVs.
An WROV system is very large, consisting of a huge winch (typically 4000 m or 6000 m in the case of the CURV) for the umbilical and tether management system (TMS) and the control room, which for such cases is typically built inside a large shipping container. The TMS is typically either a top-hat which sits above the WROV or a cage, which houses the WROV. When the WROV is deployed, it's lowered to the operating depth while still attached or inside the TMS, then it detaches and "flys" away from the TMS, to the maximum length of the tether, which is typically up to 1000 m in length.
AUV systems are relatively smaller and simpler. They consist of a launch and recovery system (LARS) and a control room, also typically built inside a shipping container.
It's usually pretty easy to tell an ROV from an AUV. ROVs are rectangular shaped and they always are tethered (i.e., connected) through the tether / TMS / umbilical to the surface vessel, from which they are powered and "flown" by a human operator. AUVs on the other hand are practically the opposite. They are torpedo like, fully self-propelled and autonomous. They are programmed with a mission, then they are launched. After that, they carry out the mission, then surface to be recovered. There are "grey areas", but that's pretty typical.
AUVs are good for covering a lot of territory, but they can't stop and take a look or pick something up. ROVs are relatively slow and because they are tethered, they are usually operated from a stationary vessel or relatively slow moving vessel. They are great for moving around in 6 degrees of freedom and making turns about 3 axes. Many of them can lift and carry heavy loads. They also have cameras, lights, sonar and manipulators so they can look at things, take pictures/videos and grasp things. In search and recovery operations, AUVs do the searching and ROVs do the recovering.
FYI, a REMUS is an AUV, not an ROV. If the Ocean Shield has a REMUS 6000, I find it surprising they would be diving the Bluefin beyond its maximum operating depth, but there could be valid reasons for doing so.
I hope that helps.