The Royal Navy’s Hydrographic eXploitation Group Teams 5 and 6 have recently carried out the first at-sea trials of a containerised remotely operated towed vehicle (C-ROTV) system.
This exercise forms part of the Royal Navy’s move towards ‘hybrid navy’ operations.
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In Denmark, Teams 5 and 6 deployed the C-ROTV, designed for launching and recovering the ScanFish, an oceanographic survey system developed by Danish engineering company EIVA.
The trials took place on board the University of Aarhus’ research vessel, RV Aurora.
The ScanFish system features an array of oceanographic sensors, tri-frequency side-scan sonar, a sub-bottom profiler, and both optical and electro-optical cameras. It operated at depths reaching 1,000 metres.
Before the deployment, the container housing the ScanFish system was shipped to Denmark so EIVA could perform annual maintenance.
Upon their arrival, Royal Navy personnel spent two days at EIVA’s Skanderborg facility, about 28km from Aarhus, undertaking classroom theory, routine maintenance exercises, and dry-run drills.
These preparations included moving and handling the 800kg ScanFish vehicle in a controlled environment before shipboard tests.
After initial preparations, Teams 5 and 6 transferred the C-ROTV to Aarhus and installed it on the aft deck of RV Aurora.
Integration tasks included configuring GPS and underwater positioning equipment and setting up remote displays for ScanFish operations and monitoring via CCTV from the container.
RV Aurora’s Master, Torbin Vang, who has led the vessel for over two decades, supported the trials in the Bay of Aarhus.
During the trial, Teams 5 and 6 proved the procedures for launching and recovering the ScanFish vehicle from the container system.
The personnel operated all vehicle sensors, including the tri-frequency side-scan sonar, sub-bottom profiler, various water sampling instruments, and both still and laser scanning cameras.
The series of tests concluded with an emergency ascent drill, simulating rapid vehicle ascent to avoid underwater hazards.
The Royal Navy’s Hydrographic eXploitation Group, based at HMNB Devonport in Plymouth, continues to advance remote underwater survey capabilities as part of its ongoing technology development efforts.
