On Thursday, August 26, 2021 around 2pm PDT, remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs) Hercules and Argus became detached from the cable connecting them to E/V Nautilus at a depth of 2220m off the coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The Ocean Exploration Trust team is now investigating the cause of the detachment and transitioning to a plan to recover the vehicles, which we believe are still tethered together and residing on the seafloor at a known depth and location. This incident occurred entirely underwater and at no time created an unsafe situation for the team onboard. While this is a rare event to happen, this is not the first of these types of situations within the field of ocean exploration and research. We are grateful to our partners, colleagues, and collaborators that have rallied to support us in our recovery efforts.
At the time of this event, Ocean Exploration Trust was 21 days into a 28-day expedition supporting the University of Victoria’s Ocean Networks Canada offshore observatory located off the west coast of British Columbia, Canada.
Read daily updates on the ROV rescue mission here.
Stay tuned for more details about #ONCabyss Expedition 2021 which will continue later in the September aboard CCGS John P. Tully.
Read more about #ONCabyss 2021 expedition
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