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DY152 is the highly anticipated expedition to complete final deep-sea tests of our newest ocean robots, sensors and control software. 

A culmination of several years of shore-based trials, this 20-day expedition will see deployment of several autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) out into Haig Fras, a Marine Protected Area of Celtic Sea lying about 95 km northwest of the Isles of Scilly, and the deep waters of the Whittard Canyon complex 300km to the south west. 

The expedition departs Monday 4 July so make sure you're following us on social media to watch their progress. 

Autosub 5  

Replacing the venerable Autosub6000, our new work-class AUV is equipped with higher power sensors including state-of-the-art sonars and imaging systems that will enable scientists to create detailed maps and establish habitat characteristics of the seafloor. Though commissioned for 6000m deep water operations, Autosub 5 is rapidly reconfigurable for 2000m under-ice missions. From the outset it has been designed to have the systems redundancy and under-ice navigation capabilities that allow it to operate safely underneath vast areas of sea ice or glaciers. The DY152 expedition to Haig Fras and Whittard Canyon is the final commissioning trial of Autosub 5, marking the last of several major milestone on its journey to active service.  

#DY152 marks the final commissioning trial of #Autosub5.

The new #AUV, equipped with high-power sensors including sonars and imaging systems, has been commissioned for 6000m deep water operations but is rapidly reconfigurable for 2000m under-ice missions.#OceanRobots #Oceanids pic.twitter.com/mPdGE9fSSl

— National Oceanography Centre (@NOCnews) June 23, 2022

BioCam integrated on ALR3 

This is a unique and low power 3D visual mapping system that can obtain highly detailed colour images and topographical measurements of the seafloor such as measuring the cover of live cold-water coral within Darwin Mounds marine protected areas or the benthic habitat of Haig Fras. The BioCam sensor, being developed by the University of Southampton, was first integrated with the NOC’s Autosub Long Range back in 2021 for kick-off trials in Loch Ness. DY152 continues on from the success of this trial and will test the integration and sensor performance in deep water. 

Deepglider 

This vehicle is built to withstand the 600 atmospheres of pressure found in the deepest parts of the ocean, and has an endurance of six months or more, depending on payload. As with other submarine gliders, the Deepglider carries a range of scientific sensors that enable it to measure temperature, salinity, phytoplankton abundance and other parameters. These data can be transferred back to shore via Iridium satellite link when the glider surfaces, and the pilots can then adjust the glider’s flight and sampling regime and make course adjustments. It’s  launch  on DY152 is to support the CLASS funded RRS James Cook Expedition 237 in August to study the Whittard Canyon complex, with the deepglider being recovered at the end of the cruise.