The ROV for Wreck Surveys

Proven in the USS Arizona, a B-29 airplane, and in the search for the Space Shuttle Columbia debris, the VideoRay is an ideal tool for wreck surveys and searches. Attach a sonar to locate the target, then send the VideoRay in to identify the target. Or, send in VideoRay to help chart your course before you send in divers. The VideoRay can get into tight spaces, identify hazards, and save airtime for divers.

Case Study  |  Related Articles  | Suggested Configurations  |  Related video: "Exploring An American Icon: The USS Arizona" ; "Finding A B29 Bomber in Lake Mead"

CASE STUDY: Mini Swimming Video Camera Captures Views Inside Sunken USS Arizona Battleship; Places Not Seen Since WWII

VideoRay ROV, the 8-pound swimming video camera, was a key tool September 2000 during the internal survey of the sunken USS Arizona WWII battleship in Pearl Harbor, HI. Sized slightly larger than a shoebox, VideoRay ROV sneaked through portholes, air ducts, manholes, and openings created by bomb blasts to bring back data and images from the USS Arizona's interior. In 2001, VideoRay ROVs continued explorations of the USS Arizona, USS Utah, and other submerged structures in Pearl Harbor tended by the National Park Service.

VideoRay Vice President Bob Christ worked with the National Geographic Society and the National Park Service to survey the structural integrity of the rapidly disintegrating interior and locate the source of oil leaking since WWII. Tiny and maneuverable, VideoRay ROV was identified as the only piece of equipment that would be small enough not to disturb the archeological integrity of the wreck and fit into even the most confined places.

"I flew the ROV into the cabin," Christ said. "I could see the writing on the paper diagrams on the desk and was able to gently set the VideoRay down for a closer look." The thrust of the 8-pound sub was so slight that it did not stir up sediment that would impair visibility. Unlike a diver's fins, the submersible's small thrusters did not disturb fragile items exposed to the elements. At one point as Christ "flew" the VideoRay down a hallway in the USS Arizona, he was accompanied by a survivor from the Arizona disaster who was watching the monitor from the monument.

"I couldn't help but get a lump in my throat watching this man," said Christ. "He was revisiting another era in time through the eyes of the VideoRay."

The June 2001 issue of National Geographic magazine included the story of the legendary battleship and showed the VideoRay ROV exploring the internal staterooms and structures of the USS Arizona. The photos captured by National Geographic of the USS Arizona are among the first pictures inside of the battleship since 1943.

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Related Articles:

• "Opening Davy Jones Locker -- Very Carefully" VideoRay featured in Popular Science November 2004 issue
• VideoRay Swimming Robot Records Video of Crash Site of DC-3 Plane Shot Down in 1952
• "Alert Diver" Magazine Highlights Role of ROVs in Hazardous Environments
• In Commercial Diver International's November 2004 issue, "Micro-ROVs Overcome Diver Safety Concerns."
• VideoRay Demonstrates Benefits of Smaller Size in Shuttle Search Process
• Read B29 pilot's account of Lake Mead wreck exploration.
• VideoRay Pro II ROV and Stenmar’s Miniature Mercury Sonar Couple for Recovery of Crashed Helicopter.
• Thickness Gauge from Cygnus Instruments Specially Designed for VideoRay Pro ROV
• Lake Mead B29 Bomber investigation featured on "Deep Sea Detectives" on The History Channel.
• VideoRay Swimming Video Camera Explores B-29 Bomber in Lake Mead
• Park Service and Navy Use VideoRay in USS Arizona, in Hawaii Navy News
• VideoRay to Search for Submarine Sunken in Half Moon Bay, CA, in 1945
• VideoRay Swimming Robot Included in Submerged, a Memoir of Underwater Archeology Missions by Daniel Lenihan

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Suggested Configurations

For wreck surveys, we recommend the VideoRay Pro III with:

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