Metal Shark Debuts Prowler Autonomous Vessel and Frenzy Micro-USV
Louisiana-based boat builder Metal Shark has unveiled Prowler, its new autonomous, amphibious, and semi-submersible military craft engineered to meet the current and near future warfighting requirements of the U.S. military and its allies. The company is also debuting Frenzy, a high-performance, low-cost, amphibious micro-USV (uncrewed surface vehicle) with a payload carrying capacity of up to 14 pounds.“Prowler represents the sum total of everything we’ve learned while building 400-plus autonomous and remote operated vessels for our military customers over the past decade,” said
Underwater Metal Detectors Help Solve Crimes
“Physical evidence cannot be wrong, it cannot perjure itself, and it cannot be wholly absent. Only its interpretation can err. Only human failure to find it, study and understand it can diminish its value.” – Paul L. KirkJW Fishers Mfg says that its Pulse 8X underwater metal detector has long been the “go to” for public safety dive teams, police departments, government agencies and other forensic teams across the globe who are tasked with locating missing evidence. This missing evidence can help solve crimes and provide families with closure.It is a commercial grade
Not All Underwater Reefs are Made of Coral
Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission deploys artificial reef modules off the coast of Mexico Beach on April 6, 2013. Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission/Flickr, CC BY-NDObjects that occupy the largest amount of seafloor include limestone rocks, large concrete modules designed specifically for reefing, metal rigs and towers and long, narrow concrete pieces repurposed from their previous uses, such as culverts or bridges.Potential impactsAfter a reef is created, fish can appear within minutes or hours. The sequence of fish arrival sometimes follows a pattern. Transient fish such as jacks and barracuda
MacArtney Launches new Hybrid Connector
MacArtney introduced the Hybrid connector, a compact addition to the company's TrustLink Metal Shell series.The Hybrid is designed to seamlessly deliver power, data, and communication in one.“With the Hybrid connector, MacArtney has taken this a step further. The single-footprint Hybrid is ideal for tight spots. With two optical passes and four electrical contacts, it enhances versatility while reducing the number of connectors required," said Paul Anthony, Global Business Manager Connectivity, MacArtney.The Hybrid naturally extends the TrustLink series. It is developed in response to
Shipwrecks Teem with Underwater Life, from Microbes to Sharks
and archaeologists in disentangling the mysteries of how this transformation happens. Drawing on scientific advances from our team and international colleagues, our new study describes how wrecked vessels can have second lives as seabed habitats.A new home for underwater lifeShips are typically made of metal or wood. When a vessel sinks, it adds foreign, artificial structure to the seafloor.For example, the World War II tanker E.M. Clark sank on a relatively flat, sandy seabed in 1942 when it was torpedoed by a German submarine. To this day, the intact metal wreck looms over the North Carolina seafloor
MTR100: Subsea Batteries
that can significantly reduce batteries’ rated performance. Available space is limited such that overall battery pack capacity may be dictated by the pressure vessel size required to withstand the design depth. A.G.O. balanced these challenges by designing titanium pressure cases with nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. These batteries are rechargeable with a long life and offer the highest energy density by volume of all standard non-lithium-based battery chemistries. They are also rated for operation at near-zero temperatures with minimal performance reductions. DeepSea says its
Lander Lab 8: Titanium and Ocean Landers
such as sensor heads and instrument housings require no ongoing maintenance (see Figure 1).Titanium’s corrosion resistance comes from a dense and tightly bound oxide layer that forms in a matter of a few minutes in air. The titanium oxide film resists attack by chloride ions in seawater, making the metal highly resistant to corrosion fatigue and corrosion cracking. This allows the material to be deployed for long periods of constant immersion without fear of degradation.Titanium is non-magnetic, providing opportunity for through-hull magnetic coupling to sensors or Hall-effect switches for control
Newport News Authenticates Keel of Virginia-class Attack Submarine Oklahoma
, in building the USS Oklahoma (BB 37) Memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to honor the 429 sailors and Marines who died aboard the battleship during the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.During Wednesday’s authentication, NNS welder Alex VanCampen etched Slavonic’s initials onto a metal plate, signifying the keel of SSN 802 as being “truly and fairly laid.” The metal plate will remain affixed to the submarine throughout its life.“I am deeply honored to be the sponsor for Oklahoma, named in honor of my beloved home state,” Slavonic said. “This milestone
Archaeologists Plan Rescue of 2,500-year-old Phoenician Shipwreck
time a big storm arrives," he told Reuters.The Phoenicians, from coastal areas of present-day Lebanon and Syria, established colonies and trading posts throughout the Mediterranean from 1,500 BC to 300 BC.Historians have used the Mazarron II, probably made around 580 BC, to document how they shipped metals such as lead from the Iberian Peninsula.After it sank, it remained buried in sediment for more than two millennia until changes in sea currents due to construction on the shore unearthed it almost 30 years ago.It now lies under about 1.7 metres (5.6 ft) of crystal-clear Mediterranean water, surrounded
February 2024
