Underwater Search Equipment News

Fleet Ocean Tug USNS Apache (T-ATF 172) departed Norfolk, Virginia, today to begin searching for wreckage from the missing U.S. flagged merchant vessel El Faro. The ship is deploying to a search area northeast of Crooked Island in the Bahamas island chain, which is the last known location of the vessel. The initial search area is 100 square miles, and water depth is estimated to be 15,000 feet across the expected search area. Transit to this search area is expected to take four-to-five days due to weather.

Jack W Fisher, president of JW Fishers Mfg. passed away at home after a brief illness on February 20, 2015. He was 73 years old. The JW Fishers business was started because Fisher, an avid diver, needed an underwater metal detector to use on a salvage project in the mid 1960s. He discovered there was no such device available. Over the next several years he designed and constructed his own underwater metal detector. JW Fishers Mfg. was formed and Jack began building and selling his detectors to other divers.

An additional Fugro vessel has been commissioned to carry out underwater search activities for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, the company announced. Multipurpose offshore survey vessel Fugro Supporter is on its way to the Southern Indian Ocean search area, having conducted trials in Bali. The vessel is equipped with a Kongsberg HUGIN 4500 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) which will be used to scan those portions of the search area that cannot be searched effectively by the equipment on other vessels.

Many government agencies and public safety dive teams are adding underwater search equipment to help make their operations easier, safer, and faster. Maricopa Sheriffs Department in Arizona, Downe Township Fire Rescue in New Jersey, the Fairhaven Massachusetts Harbor Master and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division are a few of the diverse group of agencies using metal detectors, video cameras and sonars in their underwater search operations. Deputy Jeff Hanson, leader of the Maricopa County Sheriffs Department dive team…

JW Fishers, manufacturers of underwater search equipment, advise that transponders make locating underwater objects easy. Attempting to relocate underwater objects in a low visibility environment can be a difficult and time consuming task. Acoustic transponders solve this problem. Not long ago transponders were expensive pieces of equipment used primarily by the military, oil and gas industries, and oceanographic institutions. Today these underwater locating beacons are being employed by a wide range of users including commercial diving companies…

Many universities are adding or expanding their underwater archaeology programs in an effort to give students a broader educational experience and a better understanding of our maritime history. The field of underwater archaeology is expanding rapidly as the equipment required for marine exploration becomes more affordable, and more scientists and researchers learn to scuba dive. Indiana University (IU) Bloomington has one of the oldest academic diving programs in the country.

Over the past year a number of Asian companies and government agencies have acquired underwater search equipment to aid in the location of lost objects and assist in performing survey operations. In China, Guangzhou Advanced Maritime Academy has added a remote operated underwater vehicle (ROV) to their program. Reforms and opening to the outside world have paved the way for development of the country’s shipping industry. The throughput of cargo and containers at China’s ports has been the largest in the world for the past five years with an annual growth rate of 35%.

The tools law enforcement agencies use to investigate crimes and ensure public safety are critical to their success. Police departments and sheriffs offices around the country are adding underwater search equipment  to ensure their dive teams have the proper equipment to safely and effectively do their jobs. The two high tech tools  in greatest demand are the side scan sonar and ROV. Sonar is one of most effective tools for underwater  search and recovery (S&R) because it can scan large areas quickly and “see” what’s on the bottom regardless of water clarity.

Randive, a commercial diving company based in New Jersey, is employing underwater metal detectors in their search and salvage operations. The company was founded in 1959 by Randor Erlandson, and in the early days focused primarily on the needs of the maritime industry around the ports of New York and New Jersey. In the decades since, the company has greatly expanded its operations increasing its staff to 16, and adding as its clients some of the largest shipping companies in the world.