OOI Primary Node 1D nearly ready for deployment in the wee hours of 1 August 2012 from the deck of the TE SubCom Dependable. --Photo by Cecile Durand

Two humpbacks visited during the node installation cruise. Credit: Cecile Durand, University of Washington, 2012.

Humpback whales have been observed playing around the TE SubCom Dependable. Two Protected Species Visual Observers are onboard as part of the OOI team during the Primary Node Installation Cruise. Credit: Cecile Durand, University of Washington, 2012.

Two humpback whales paid a visit to the TE SubCom Dependable during the first leg of the Primary Node Installation cruise. Here one of the two visitors surfaces and exhales. Credit: Patti Haase, 2012.

Final splices on cable segments 3 and 4 going overboard prior to deployment of PN1C. --Photo by Cecile Durand

Cables are spliced together after cuts are made to adjust cable length prior to node deployments. The black cones (with yellow tape) seen in this photo protect the splice box. --Photo by Cecile Durand

At dusk on July 27, 2012, OOI RSN Primary Node 1C was deployed from the TE SubCom Dependable. --Photo by Cecile Durand

OOI RSN Primary Node 1C, shown here on the deck of the TE SubCom Dependable, nearly ready for deployment. Cable segments 3 and 4 are being paid out on either side of the Node. --Photo by Cecile Durand

Humpbacks_Cecile

Shown here is one of the ROV Nereus 3 arms going after a shackle during release operations. This action set the deployment bridle free and allowed recovery of the bridle. --Photo by Cecile Durand

Image shows how Primary Node 1B appears on the sonar of the ROV. The node is bright yellow with shadow stretching toward the top of the image. --Photo by Cecile Durand

Image shows screen monitors on the bridge of the TE SubCom Dependable for both sonar and video displays from the ROV Nereus 3. Note PN1B sitting nicely on the seabed in video display. --Photo by Cecile Durand

OOI RSN Shore Station in Pacific City, Oregon. Red dot at southern end of red line indicates where cables were pulled ashore in July 2011. Red line indicates underground route of cables from beach manhole north through conduits to the shore station.

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Shown here is the screen of an Optical Spectrum Analyzer (OSA) at the OOI RSN Shore Station in Pacific City, Oregon. The twelve peaks shown are actually the twelve wavelengths coming from the three RSN Primary Nodes currently connected--PN1A, PN1B, and PN1C. Each Node has two traffic wavelengths of 10gb/s each and two wavelengths for system management. --Photo by Pete Barletto

Screenshot from video taken by ROV Nereus 3 of OOI RSN Primary Node 1B (PN1B) in place on the seafloor. --Photo courtesy of L-3 MariPro

Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Nereus 3 is readied for deployment from the TE SubCom Dependable. --Photo by Cecile Durand

On the fantail of the Dependable, Primary Node 1B (PN1B) is readied for nighttime deployment. Photo by Cecile Durand

This closeup shows part of the grapnel, nicknamed "The Beast" by Cecile Durand, used to hook and recover the cable from the seafloor. --Photo by Cecile Durang

Red "hook" at end of grapnel is shown here bringing the end of cable segment 3 onboard deck of TE SubCom Dependable. --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

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