Page 12: of Marine Technology Magazine (June 2012)

Beneath choppy Puget Sound waters linger remnants of war that could potentially harm both life and this robust sea-faring industry. During a routine security dive, Port of Seattle divers discovered munitions that date back to World War II. (See re- lated story starting on page 32). Munitions were found on six more occasions, the last of which was considered hazardous. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers authorized a time criti- cal removal action to deal with munitions found where cruise ships berthed on Pier 91.Sky Research was contracted to begin a series of surveys us- ing multi-beam, side scan and stationary scanning sonar to produce a higher resolution picture. Through the use of geo- physical and remote sensing technologies, Sky Research has developed an Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) detection meth- odology. The surveys uncovered 11 discarded military muni- tions and 212 munitions-related items.Sky Research selected Munson Boats to produce a custom- ized multipurpose research vessel designed for multi-diver operations, marine magnetometer data collection, Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) deployments, and marine survey operations including Side Scan Sonar, Scanning Sonar, Sub- Bottom ProÞ ling and Multi-Beam Bathymetry. One of the primary roles for the new vessel is to collect underwater mag- netometer data with the SkyDiver array. The array is made of a reinforced non-metallic Þ berglass wing that can carry Þ ve magnetometers. The magnetometers detect ferrous metal (iron) objects at or beneath the surface of the seaß oor. The new 36-ft. Munson Packcat has 250 sq. ft. of open deck workspace. The rear deck is equipped with a 1,000 lb. capac- ity stern A-Frame. The bow deck has a 1,000 lb. davit with a hydraulic capstan, hydraulic bow door, and dual side doors. For dive operations, locations were provided to mount dive ladders on the bow door, transom swim step, as well as port or starboard side doors. Power is provided by twin Volvo D6 330 hp diesel stern drives producing a 30 mph cruise and 41 mph top speed.The walk around cabin houses the CPU Rack, Garmin 5212 GPS navigation with autopilot, two helm stations and survey work station. The cabin for has heat and air conditioning, gal- ley, head, hot water shower and wireless internet. The Sky- Diver high-speed winch is mounted on the roof of the cabin inside a sound proof enclosure. News 36-ft. Packcat for Sky Research Munson Delivers June 201212 MTRMTR #5 (1-17).indd 12MTR #5 (1-17).indd 125/31/2012 2:01:53 PM5/31/2012 2:01:53 PM