ROV ROPOS Deployment
by Julie Ann Koehlinger
The Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) ROPOS is the primary and critical workhorse of the RSN VISIONS cruises. Owned and operated by the Canadian Scientific Submersible Facility in Victoria, BC, this 7500 lbs robot is capable of many detailed operations on the seafloor. ROPOS pilots navigate the vehicle and control its manipulator arms from aboard the R/V Thompson, enabling the ROV to conduct a broad range of operations, including laying fiber-optic cable, deploying and recovering instruments, collecting scientific samples, and filming in HD the intricacies of the deep sea-scape. Julie Ann created a video documenting a ROPOS launch during Leg 2 of the VISIONS '13 Expedition.