In the wake of Rita, NURP Aquanauts
forge new alliances to save U/W habitat
This story entered on 1st Nov, 2005 12:59:37 PM PST
Aquanauts (undersea habitat divers) and members of the U.S. Navy
Seabees recently joined efforts to restore and stabilize the underwater
habitat Aquarius following the wake of Hurricane Rita, and to prepare
the habitat to withstand Hurricane Wilma. Aquarius is the world’s
only undersea laboratory. Set in 60 feet of water off Key Largo,
Florida, Aquarius is maintained and operated by NURP's National
Undersea Research Center for the Southeastern U.S. and Gulf of Mexico
at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington.
“As Hurricane Rita passed south of the Keys as a Category
I Storm, its wave heights reached nearly 30 feet off Key Largo.
Since Aquarius is sitting in 60 feet of water, a thirty-foot wave
overhead created significant bottom surge; the type of surge that
has been known to tear shipwrecks in two and scatter them hundreds
of feet across the bottom of the ocean.” Said Craig Cooper,
Operations Director for Aquarius, The surge and constant wind-driven
currents from the east-southeast shifted Aquarius approximately
ten feet, broke a pin to one of the legs, and threatened to tip
the habitat over. Additionally, the hold-down anchors were pried
from the seafloor, and exterior deck frames, battery pods, and other
structures were damaged or torn loose.
A tiger team of U.S. Navy Seabee divers from Underwater Construction
Teams (UCT) 1 and 2 and NOAA Aquanauts collaborated in the many
tasks associated with stabilizing and restoring the underwater habitat
in record time. Their efforts paid off -- Aquarius survived Hurricane
Wilma without any damage, despite a direct hit on the Florida Keys.
Lt. Cmdr. Tim Liberatore, UCT 2 Commanding Officer stated that “the
UCT’s are perfectly suited for this type of work, stabilizing
the Aquarius was a great opportunity to do real-world engineering
on an underwater structure.”
Aquarius is a national asset that supports scientists, researchers,
and even astronauts in their efforts to better understand the oceans,
coastal resources, and the ability to conduct work operations in
an austere and remote environment.
Additional links:
http://www.seabee.navy.mil/
http://www.nurp.noaa.gov/SEGM.htm
More information:
http://www.uncw.edu/aquarius/
Contact information
Name: Felipe Arzayus
Tel: (301) 713-2427
felipe.arzayus@noaa.gov
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