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10 MTR July 2006 news Fugro Geos Installs New Tech on Stella Fugro GEOS implemented new technolo- gy on Stella, the Bonga SPM (Single Point Mooring) Buoy - the largest in the world. The project, offshore Nigeria, has recently seen the installation by Fugro GEOS of an real-time meteorological, oceanographic (metocean) and upgraded tension monitor- ing system. Powered by integrated solar power systems, and with telemetry and remote data display units, the system is designed to allow data to be monitored and displayed in real-time for use by approach- ing tankers. "In this project we made the first use of surface-recoverable ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) deploy- ment frames; cross-turntable real-time radio modem links for all anchor tension and cur- rent profile data; a downward looking ADCP on an SPM; and an H-ADCP (Horizontal ADCP) deployed on a rotating turntable to acquire near-surface current speed and direction, all corrected for turntable heading," said Michael Quinnell, Fugro GEOS Seasystems Manager. "This new technology enabled us to undertake and complete the most compre- hensive real-time metocean and tension monitoring system of its kind installed on an oil offloading SPM /CALM (Catenary Anchor Leg Mooring) buoy. The system was designed to acquire a large quantity of raw, high frequency metocean and tension data to allow detailed future investigations of metocean conditions (e.g. squall monitoring, wave steepness), and SPM movement (e.g. tanker mooring hawser 'snagging', SPM heave, pitch, roll and anchor chain tensions). Navy Orders Full Sonar Production On June 29, the U.S. Navy continued steaming toward a littoral posture with a $45m order for a helicopter-based sonar sys- tem with improved shallow-water capabili- ties. Raytheon will build six AN/AQS-22 ALFS (Airborne Low Frequency Sonar) sys- tems for the Navy's new MH-60R helicop- ter under the contract which advances the program into full production, with initial deployment to the fleet later this year. The MH-60R is designed to fly from aircraft carriers and other ships and ferret out subs using the sonar system, which is lowered into the water on a 2,500-ft. cable. The Navy has one operational MH-60R squadron flying out of San Diego. Hunting submarines will be one of the new copter's tasks, and the AN/AQS-22 is designed with greater overall range and improved perform- ance in the coastal littoral waters where the U.S. military anticipates it will be operating in coming decades. Submarines, including diesel-electric boats that run particularly quietly beneath the surface, are seen as threats to carrier battle groups and amphibi- ous task forces operating close to the shore- line. (Source: UPI) Sunken Sub Appears to be USS Lagarto Navy divers completed six days of diving operations June 16 on wreckage in the Gulf of Thailand believed to be that of the lost World War II submarine USS Lagarto (SS 371). The divers' observations appear to confirm the discovery made in May 2005 by British wreck diver Jamie MacLeod. "Without a doubt, it's a U.S. submarine, a Balao-class," said U.S. 7th Fleet Diving Officer, Cmdr. Tony San Jose. San Jose and his fellow divers reported identifying twin 5-in. gun mounts both for- ward and aft, a feature believed to be unique to Lagarto. They also reported finding seri- al numbers and the word "Manitowoc" engraved on the submarine's propeller. Lagarto was one of 28 submarines built in Manitowoc, Wis. The operations were con- ducted from the rescue and salvage ship USS Salvor (ARS 52) with embarked divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1, based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Japan-based mine countermeasures ship USS Patriot (MCM 7) assisted by first pinpointing the location of the wreckage MTR#6 (1-16).qxd 7/11/2006 12:00 PM Page 12
