2019 Field Season Shakedown

Vessel: NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer; Expedition Dates: May 12, 2019 to May 24, 2019

Ports: Pascagoula, MS to Key West, FL

Project Principals: Shannon Hoy, NOAA/OAR/OER (Co-Expedition Coordinator); Derek Sowers, NOAA/OAR/OER (Co-Expedition Coordinator and Mapping Lead)

This shakedown mission, which began in Pascagoula, Mississippi on May 12, 2019 and concluded on May 24, 2019 in Key West, Florida, came after the winter scheduled drydock and dockside shipyard repair period. While underway, 24-hour operations focused on preparing deep-sea mapping and water column sonars and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) systems for the remainder of 2019 expeditions. Three "engineering dives" were conducted during the first part of the expedition. The dives allowed members of the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration to calibrate the ROV's ultra short baseline (USBL) positioning system, test a new suction sampling device, test on-ship data transfer and telepresence systems, and train new team members. As the dives focused on testing new equipment, no physical samples were collected for later analyses. During the third ROV dive on May 16, while conducting an "engineering dive" to test new remotely operated vehicle (ROV) equipment, the team made an unexpected – and exciting – discovery: the wreck of what is likely a mid-19th century wooden sailing vessel. Mapping shakedown operations during the expedition included calibrating the ship's EM302 multibeam sonar (used to map the seafloor and water column) and the EK60 split-beam sonar (used to explore the water column), integrating and calibrating a new Simrad EK80 split-beam sonar (for further water column exploration), and installing and testing a new sonar synchronization unit (K-Sync – to reduce potential interference between different sonars).

Gulf of Mexico

Area

Gulf of Mexico; Test Area

Overview

Date:	May 14, 2019
Max Depth:	1019 Meters
Bottom Time:	3 Hours 42 Minutes 0 Seconds

Purpose

Test winter upgrades and maintenance to D2 and Seirios. Test new suction sampler. Test new Pilot/Copilot joyboxes. Train on new systems and continue to train new pilots/copilots.

Gulf of Mexico

Area

Gulf of Mexico; Restricted

Overview

Date:	May 15, 2019
Max Depth:	3233 Meters
Bottom Time:	4 Hours 25 Minutes 0 Seconds

Purpose

Deep dive to test all systems at higher ocean pressure and verify proper operation. Test winter upgrades and maintenance to D2 and Seirios. Test new suction sampler. Test new Pilot/Copilot joyboxes. Train on new systems and continue to train new pilots/copilots.

Gulf of Mexico

Area

Gulf of Mexico; Test Area

Overview

Date:	May 16, 2019
Max Depth:	547 Meters
Bottom Time:	10 Hours 5 Minutes 0 Seconds

Purpose

Continued testing of winter upgrades and maintenance to D2 and Seirios. Test new suction sampler. Test new Pilot/Copilot joyboxes. Train on new systems and continue to train new pilots/copilots. Practice "standard operational mode" to mimic typical dive operations (waypoints, sampling, high-quality imaging).