Woods Hole Group, Bourne, Mass., and Chance Maritime Technologies, Lafayette, La., have completed an uninterrupted, 38-day offshore ocean current monitoring mission using an uncrewed surface vessel (USV), marking what the companies say is a record for continuously cruising, diesel-powered USV operations without human intervention.
The FAST Eddy Loop Current survey was conducted roughly 200 nautical miles offshore in Gulf waters, where the USV transited more than 4,000 nautical miles nonstop. The mission was completed without refueling, support vessels, or any physical intervention, according to the companies.
The project paired Woods Hole Group’s automated FAST (Fast Autonomous Survey Technology) Eddy ocean current monitoring system with Chance Maritime’s 40′ Chance MC40 USV. The system incorporated Teledyne 75 kHz and 300 kHz Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) and an additional payload developed by Chance Maritime to autonomously deploy Woods Hole Group FAR Horizon drifters at client-specified locations. During the deployment, the USV conducted real-time current monitoring while deploying eight drifter buoys…