An Cosantóir

LE Eithne's ROV | 15 lÉ eIthNe'S Rov CollaBoRatIoN BY COMMANDER STEVE WALSH (OFFICER COMMANDING LÉ EITHNE) on the commercial market. The wrecks of UC 42 (a WW1 U-boat) and the Aud (the 1916 German gun-running ship) were the target vessels for the Naval Service's ROV Cherokee and the UL ROV Latis. Both ROVs were deployed from LÉ Eithne. This joint venture was the first of its kind to be developed under the framework of the Irish Marine Energy Resource Cluster (IMERC) and represents a synergy whereby the NS can benefit from leading-edge exposure and UL can test their ongoing system development. Essentially, the idea is to improve the knowledge-base of both partners and move the project along. LÉ Eithne, originally built as a helicopter patrol vessel, was set up ated vehicles (ROVs) off the south coast of Ireland. The aim was to test a prototype control and guidance system that incor- porates some of the latest developments in ROV technology. This system is under development in UL and not yet available T he Naval Service recently teamed up with the UL Marine Robotics Centre to deploy (smart) remotely oper- divers in an effort to disarm the mines and torpedoes still aboard, with USS Melville salvaging three of the mines. In April 1916, Roger Casement's gun-running ship the Aud was for five days of underwater operations at the Naval Base, where she embarked the ROVs, the containerised control systems, and provided support services on the flight deck. The NS ROV, which operates to a maximum depth of 1,000m, has kind precision flight-control and advanced autopilot system. This system follows precise transects from a multi-beam sonar for video imaging of underwater objects. With extreme fidelity in flight, high- quality imagery was obtained to build a three-dimensional model of objects encountered. The Latis team was led by Dr Dan Toal, who explained: "Our new-age features are not available on commercial ROVs and the overall goal of this project is to commercialise the tech- nology … to provide scientists with a transparent ocean view … and fund further research." To date Latis has been operated under test conditions in numerous offshore surveys for ocean energy research, seabed mapping, habitat mapping, oceanographic and advanced marine sensor technology research, which encompasses patented sonar technology. While the Eithne's week entailed a mix of seabed bathymetry, high- a five-function manipulator arm, high- and low-intensity digital cam- eras, and a high-intensity lighting system, was the first to deploy and was controlled from the Eithne by NS diving personnel. This ROV has been involved in numerous deep-sea search and recovery operations since 2005. The Latis, which deployed next, is equipped with the first-of-its- resolution multi-beam imaging, side-scan profiling, inertia navigation and ultra-short baseline underwater systems, the targeted wrecks also had interesting stories to tell. In September 1917, UC 42 had been engaged in mine-laying at the entrance to Cork Harbour when she exploded, resulting in the deaths of 27 submariners onboard. On 2 November 1917, hardhat divers from the (then) Royal Navy base at Haulbowline, dived the area and posi- tively identified the U-boat, noting the stern damage to the subma- rine. During 1918, the submarine was dived by British and American derived from the NS's and IMERC's vision statements. For the NS it is "to be the smartest, most innovative and responsive naval service in the world," while the IMERC's vision is "to promote Ireland as a world- renowned research and development location that unlocks Ireland's maritime and energy potential." The link between the two makes perfect sense. For more info on LÉ Eithne visit: http://www.military.ie/naval- service/fleet/helicopter-patrol-vessel/le-eithne-p31 vestigation of the wrecks was supervised by Dr Garret Duffy of the Martin Ryan Institute, located in NUI Galway. It was made possible by part funding from the Environmental Fund (heritage related projects) of the Depart- ment of Arts, Heritage and the Gealtacht. The collaboration between the Irish Naval Service and the UL Marine Robotics team under the umbrella of IMERC, represented a ven- ture in the furthering of research and development in the field of sub-surface search and recovery operations, ocean based research and other seabed interventions. The ethos behind this and potential future joint projects was www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE scuttled by her captain, Karl Spindler, rather than handing over her cargo to the British authorities. At the time of scuttling the Aud was under Royal Navy escort into Cork Harbour. Much of the estimated cargo of 20,000 guns and 1,000,000 rounds of am- munition are still believed to remain onboard. The wreck was depth-charged by the Royal Navy on a number of occasions to make sure that the weapons were unservice- able, scattered and made unrecoverable by Irish rebel forces. The rifles and much of the ammunition originated in Russia. The archaeological in- Multibeam sonar image of UC 42 (showing damage to stern). ROVs Cherokee and Latis being prepared onboard LÉ Eithne. Naval Service Diving Section personnel 'fly- ing' the ROV from the NS control station.

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