On the deck of the TE SubCom Dependable, the OOI team attaches the acoustic release to node PN1A, the first node to be installed. Photo by Cecile Durand

Acoustic release that releases the node once the node is in place on the seafloor. --Photo by Cecile Durand

Node PN1A is launched from the back deck of the TE SubCom Dependable. Note black cable tails that curve down from the node on the righthand side of the photo. The two ends of cable segments are spliced into the node at these tails. --Photo courtesy of L3-MariPro

Primary Node PN1A is lowered into the water. Photo courtesy of L3-MariPro

Primary nodes sitting on deck of the TE SubCom Dependable in Astoria, Oregon, prior to the start of the node installation cruise. --Photo by Cecile Durand

The shallow-water Primary Node 1A (PN1A) sits on the deck of the TE Subcom Dependable prior to the node installation cruise. --Photo by Cecile Durand

One cable going out, one cable coming in: Segment 2 (black line on deck on left side of photo; ship's starboard side) being paid out and Segment 1 (black line on deck on right side of photo; ship's port side) coming in. --Photo by Cecile Durand

Mark Wardman, left, and Kirk Connally, right, L-3 MariPro members of the OOI installation team, are shown with the beacon installed on cable segment 2. The beacon is used to verify the cable shape in water (catenary). --Photo by Cecile Durand

This drawing shows the Segment 1 and 2 cable routes in their temporary and final configurations. The cable routes shown in red (temporary) were installed during the summer of 2011. This year, we are recovering the “red” cable ends and relaying the cables along their final routes (shown in black). The primary node 1A (PN1A) will be installed at the base of the continental slope, near the subduction zone and to the west of Hydrate Ridge.  Drawing courtesy of L-3 MariPro

The TE SubCom Cable Ship Dependable was used to install the OOI cable off the coast of Oregon in summer 2011 and is being used for Primary Node installation in summer 2012. Image courtesy of TE SubCom.

OOI RSN Shallow-Water Primary Node in Trawl-Resistant Frame. Image courtesy of OOI RSN primary infrastructure contractor L-3 MariPro, Goleta, California. --Photo courtesy of L-3 MariPro

Image shows the buoy and retrieving line with flotation balls used to "buoy off" the end of cable Segment 1. --Photo by Cecile Durand.

The grapnel (red "chain" of hooks), which is used to grapple and recover the ends of cable segments, is shown here lying on the fantail of the TE SubCom Dependable, with one of the deep-water Primary Nodes to the right. --Photo by Cecile Durand

Plan for OOI RSN Primary Node Installation. Node drawings courtesy of L-3 MariPro.

VISIONS'12 Expedition routes for legs 1 & 2.

The Research Vessel Thomas G. Thompson works throughout the world’s ocean basins and is the vessel being used for this July 2008 node survey cruise of the Ocean Observatories Initiative.

Northeast Pacific Time-series Underwater Networked Experiments 

Opportunities Image

AxialWorkshopHuber

Larson

Butterfield

Wilcox-HD

OOI RSN primary node test deployment off the fantail of the TE SubCom Dependable dockside at Swan Island, Portland, Oregon. Photo by Skip Denny.

Dockside loading of OOI RSN primary node onto cable ship in preparation for dockside testing in Portland, Oregon. April 17, 2012. Photo by Skip Denny.

OOI RSN primary node on deck of TE SubCom Dependable during dockside deployment testing on April 18, 2012 in Portland, Oregon. Photo by Brian Ittig.

Image of infrastructure at the summit of Axial Seamount

Image of mooring infrastructure at Axial Seamount Primary Node 3A