Image Archive

During the VISIONS'13 expedition the ROV ROPOS, installed >22,000 m of extension cables onto the seafloor using the remotely operated cable laying system (ROCLS) shown here attached to its underbelly. The cables will provide power and real-time, two-way communication to a diverse array of instruments and junction boxes.

Over 22 km of extension cables were deployed by the robotic vehicle ROPOS during the VISIONS'13 expedition.The cables were spooled onto drums and installed using the Remotely Operated Cable Laying System (ROCLS) latched beneath ROPOS.

Preparing to "capture" an underwater volcano in the northeast Pacific Ocean.  

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V'13 Expedition Main Image

Locations NSF's Ocean Observatory Initiative Sites. Credit: University of Washington, Center for Environmental Visualization.

OOI Map with RSN inset

OOI RSN cable system map

Secondary Cable Image with ROPOS ROV

Once the cable, terminations and flange box are loaded onto the ROCLS drum (shown here with the outer end of the cable, termination, connector, etc. strapped to the drum) they are stored in the warehouse until it is time to load the cable drum onto the ship for installation.

The first step in the cable loading process is to pack the flange box used by ROPOS for seafloor deployment. The flange box protects the components and makes them easier for the ROV to handle on the seafloor. Components are the 400- to 4700-meter long secondary cable (yellow), cable termination (cylindrical titanium case near the top), oil-filled hose (orange), and the ROV wet-mateable connector (with orange handle and green ring next to coiled hose) that will plug into a receptacle on the primary or secondary node.

Custom-designed secondary cable is delivered from the manufacturer on wooden reels (left). The cable must then be transfered to the  aluminum drum (right) used in the ROV ROPOS cable laying system.

James Tilley, an Applied Physics Laboratory electrical engineer, works on a circuit board that will be installed in a secondary node. Photo by Mary Levin / UW

PN5A-Overview Image

PN3B-Overview Image

PN3A-Overview Image

PN1C and PN1D-Overview Image

PN1B-Overview Image

PN1A-Overview Image

Axial Caldera Image

Location of nodes, cables and instruments to be deployed during the VISIONS'13 expedition at, and near, the ASHES Hydrothermal Vent Field.

The cabled geophysical array at the Central Caldera Site is focused on measuring the inflation and deflation of the volcano, earthquakes, and the movement of of molten lava within the core of the volcano. Bathymetric data are from D. Clague and D. Caress, MBARI. Image Credit: University of Washington.

Axial Slope Base Image

Mid Plate image

Endurance Array and Slope Base Mooring Image

Hydrate Ridge Details image

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