Project Instructions: EX-21-03, 2021 ROV Shakedown (ROV & Mapping)

This document contains project instructions specific to EX-21-03. For more information about the overarching 2021 Field Season, refer to the linked NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer FY2021 Field Season Instructions. Operations for this cruise will be conducted 24 hours per day, and consist of Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) shakedown operations during the day and overnight mapping operations, as well as limited shore-based participation via telepresence technology. The cruise will commence on June 13, 2021 in Norfolk, Virginia and conclude on June 27, 2021 in Newport, Rhode Island. Operations will include the use of the ship’s mapping systems (Kongsberg EM 304 multibeam, EK60/EK80 split-beam sonars, Knudsen 3260 chirp sub-bottom profiler, and Teledyne acoustic Doppler current profiler), expendable bathythermographs (XBTs) in support of multibeam sonar mapping operations, the two-body ROV system (Deep Discoverer and Seirios), and high-bandwidth satellite connection for continuous ship-to-shore communications. Operations will focus on exploring deep waters (>250 m for ROV operations, and >200 m for mapping operations) both within and outside of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).