Page 58: of Marine Technology Magazine (October 2019)

Tech Files Research Vessel Tech

Images: Sonardyne

Sonardyne selected for Flagship Brazilian RV

Science equipment and underwater vehicles deployed from 21-strong science team to precisely track their instruments

Brazil’s ? agship oceanographic research vessel, Alpha Crucis, and sensors to beyond 7 km. are to be tracked using Ultra-Short BaseLine (USBL) posi- Ranger 2 is designed to accurately track the position of sub- tioning technology supplied by Sonardyne Brasil Ltda. sea targets by measuring the range and bearing from a ves- “To gather meaningful data to support our studies, ? rst sel-mounted transceiver to transponders on each target. The our scientists need to know exactly where their sensors and University of São Paulo selected Sonardyne’s pre-calibrated equipment packages are in the ocean when they make their Gyro USBL transceiver for the vessel and 4,000 m depth rated observations,” said Dr. Prof. Paulo Sumida, Vice-Dean from Wideband Sub-Mini 6 Plus (WSM 6+) transponders for its the Oceanographic Institute of University of São Paulo. “With in-water equipment, which includes sediment corers, towed

Ranger 2, they’ll be able to do just that. It came highly recom- cameras, landers and remotely operated vehicles (ROV). mended by our colleagues in the international science com- Gyro USBL is pre-calibrated thanks to its aligned acoustic munity giving us every con? dence to select it for the Alpha transceiver and built-in attitude and heading reference sensor

Crucis.” The 64 m-long vessel, which is operated by the Uni- (AHRS). This combination eliminates the need for measure- versity of São Paulo, undertakes research projects spanning ments to be undertaken to determine the alignment of the global climate change to biodiversity in Brazilian waters. It ship’s motion sensors to the acoustic transceiver. Survey op- will be equipped with a Sonardyne Ranger 2 USBL high pre- erations are faster and more precise, helping to maximize the cision acoustic positioning system to enable the Alpha Crucis’ available vessel time for science.

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