The ROV for Search and Rescue

CASE STUDY: Search and Rescue Missions Are Sad Events

Search and Rescue missions are sad events, but necessary to bring closure after an accident. The VideoRay ROV has been used in several missions to assist in locating drowning victims. On June 4, 1999, 17-year old Josh Haugen fell off a watercraft in Pactola Reservoir near Rapid City South Dakota. VideoRay was used by local authorities as a new search and rescue tool that is an alternative to sending divers in the water and risking lives in treacherous conditions. Three VideoRays were run from land and boat to cover 800 square meters of lake floor, which is littered with 20-foot trees and jagged rocks. Covering the area in overlapping grids, VideoRay worked in tandem with a scanning sonar to comb shadows and rock beds. As the sonar found targets, VideoRay was sent in to explore.

Troy Barnhart, 28, jumped from a moving boat on July 26, 2002, on Table Rock Lake, MO, and was not seen again. Francis Carson of Rustin, LA, a professional side-scan sonar operator, and Bob Christ of Exton, PA, the operator of an 8-pound VideoRay ROV (remotely operated vehicle) searched the lake at the request of Barnhart’s parents. Barnhart’s body was believed to be in 120 feet of water near underwater standing timber. The search began in the area where a GPS reading was taken by friends driving the boat Barnhart jumped from. Carson has captured a side-scan sonar image, which he believes may be Barnhart’s body. Operating the VideoRay from the boat, Christ could see underwater through the VideoRay’s camera eye to record video of the search. Table Rock Lake has a surface area of approximately 43,100 surface acres.

Related articles:

• Drowning Victim Recovered by St. Louis County, MN, Sheriff's Office
• Under Ice Search Uses Multiple Micro-ROVs
• Eight ROVs Deployed in Search for Drowning Victim Beneath Frozen St. Louis River, from the Duluth News Tribune
• VideoRay Underwater Robot Locates Body and Assists Divers in Frozen Minnesota Lake
• VideoRay Part of High-Tech Body Search, from THE JOURNAL NEWS
• Underwater Robot Finds Two Bodies in Three Days, in Wisconsin and Scotland
• VideoRay Underwater Robot Identifies Boat Roof in Baltimore Water Taxi Crash
• "Alert Diver" Magazine Highlights Role of ROVs in Hazardous Environments
• VideoRay Purchased for Homeland Security and Inspecting Underwater Crime Scenes in Minnesota’s Great Lakes Region
• Gene Ralston uses VideoRay to observe remains of drowning victim prior to recovery by a diver
• Body Search Tonight in Table Rock Lake with 8-Pound Swimming Video Camera and Sonar
• VideoRay Swimming Video Camera Finds Body of Drowned Guard in South Africa
• World’s Smallest ROV Gains Positioning System, Meets Needs of Search and Rescue
• NASA/Kennedy Space Center Speaker Shares Story of How VideoRay ROV Keeps Him Out of Alligator's Jaws

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Suggested Configurations

For forensic studies and search and rescue operations, we recommend the VideoRay Pro III, with: