A robot submarine operated by researchers from the University of Limerick, and guided by a navigation system designed at the university, has shed new light on several first World War era shipwrecks off the Irish coast. The operation by the ROV (remote operated vehicle) Étáin was the first dive on several wrecks about which very little was known, including the only German U-Boat sunk by US forces in the first World War. In doing so, the ROV was able to capture photographs and sonar data of the wrecks, about which only sparing details were known before. Pots and pans“Close quarter inspection of these sites with an ROV is technically challenging and hazardous due to the presence of abandoned fishing gear. The blended control and automation of the ROV provided by our UL developed OceanRINGS software and other UL systems allows us to safely complete these missions,” said Dr Gerard Dooley, chief scientist for the survey.

Source: The Irish Times February 03, 2019 21:21 UTC