Off Pacific City, Oregon

Sunday, July 03, 2011
Grapnel
Grapnel back up

Grapnel coming up after a run. Once back on deck of the TE SubCom Dependable it was inspected and nothing was found entangled. The seabed surveyed is clear.

--Photo by Cecile Durand, University of Washington, onboard the TE SubCom Dependable

Grapnel

The grapnel is ready for deployment onboard the TE SubCom Dependable.

 

--Photo by Cecile Durand, University of Washington, onboard the TE SubCom Dependable


We finished our transit this morning around 0800h and started gearing up for the prelay grapnel run* just off Haystack Rock, Pacific City, OR. The grapnel was in the water by 0900h or so and we headed west on Segment 5 cable route. The grapnel is picked up every 10km to check it is clear of any debris. The first check came out clean; the second check is due anytime soon (it is now 2100h).

What a beautiful day… the wind is picking up now but we’ve had a great day out here (well for those that got a chance to get out anyway). If it stays like this tomorrow, we may even be able to see some firework! Happy Fourth of July!

---Cecile Durand, the OOI Regional Scale Nodes Marine Maintenance Manager at the University of Washington, reports from aboard the TE SubCom Dependable.
 

*The prelay grapnel run, or PLGR, is a route clearance operation used in areas where the cable is planned for burial and is done to ensure that no obstacle lies across the planned OOI cable route.