Two Ships at Sea

Tuesday, August 09, 2011
The Thompson
TE SubCom Cable Ship Dependable

The TE SubCom Cable Ship Dependable is being used to install the OOI cable off the coast of Oregon. Image courtesy of TE SubCom

There will soon be two ships at sea conducting work related to the regional cabled network component of the NSF Ocean Observatories Initiative. OOI scientists will set sail on August 11 onboard the R/V Thompson to conduct work at Hydrate Ridge and Axial Seamount, part of the continuing efforts to prepare for, survey, and assess the ongoing installation of this high-power and high-bandwidth cabled network.

At the same time, the TE Subcom Dependable, will be working offshore, continuing its work installing the 540 miles (870 km) of the electro-optical cable that forms the backbone of the network.