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News
IODP's Chikyu Suspends Operations
The Integrate Ocean Drilling Program's Chikyu has experienced operational difficulties with the gears on its azimuthal thrusters. A special task force was set up to investigate the issue in more detail and now reports that new thruster gears need to be fabricated and installed on all six thrusters before Chikyu can return to operations. The fabrication and installation will require Chikyu to cease IODP operations until March 2009, when the vessel will be able to resume IODP operations for four months, from March–June 2009. As a result, IODP Expeditions 318 and 319 planned for December 2008–February 2009 are deferred to a later date, yet to be determined. A new plan for Chikyu’s FY09 operations (March–June 2009) will be generated by the Operations Task Force in the near future. Details will be reported in upcoming editions of IODP E-News and on the IODP Expeditions page.
Navy Technology to Help NOAA Find Sunken History
U.S. Navy mine-hunting technology has a potential dual use to help NOAA find historic shipwrecks by allowing maritime archaeologists to “see” below the seafloor. With greater resolutions and access to deeper depths, maritime archaeologists can better understand submerged cultural and historic resources without disturbing those sites. This technology will be put through its paces at AUVfest 2008 from May 12 – 23 in Narragansett Bay, R.I. Hosted by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport, R.I., Navy technical teams will deploy AUVs, or autonomous undersea vehicles, equipped with advanced mine hunting sensors. Teams will demonstrate several mine countermeasure mission objectives, including broad area searching and mapping capabilities, confined area searching capabilities, and buried mine hunting. Source: NOAA
Society News
Archaeology Committee to Hold First in Lecture Series
The inaugural lecture in the new Marine Archaeology Professional Committee's Lecture Series will focus on "Deepwater Shipwrecks in the Gulf of Mexico." The lecture will be held at 6:30 p.m. on May 20 at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences. As oil companies search for new sources of oil in the Gulf of Mexico, more and more deepwater archaeological sites are found on the ocean floor. Marine archaeologist Robert Church will explain the latest technologies and processes used to find shipwrecks in deepwater and will highlight his current projects. He will also discuss the results and significance of the U.S. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service's Shipwreck Study in the Gulf of Mexico, for which he served as project manager and chief scientist. Click here to purchase tickets.
Spring MTS Journal Available to Members Online Now
The Spring 2008 MTS Journal, "The State of Technology in 2008," has been posted in the members-only area of the MTS Web site. The online version is a free member benefit of MTS. To access the Journal, go to the "Publications" link at the top of this page, then select "MTS Journal" from the list at right, then select "MTS Journal Online." Your last name is your username. If you do not know your password—your MTS member ID—please click here or call (410)-884-5330. This issue contains commentary and articles on the current state of ocean energy, ship design, ocean observing systems, underwater vehicles, sensing and underwater communications. Non-members may subscribe to a paper copy of the Journal. Non-members may also receive a paper copy of the Journal for an additional fee of $25 for domestic and $50 for foreign subscriptions. Visit the Store for subscription information (scroll down to "Journal Subscriptions.")
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