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Nereus — a mythical god with a fish tail and a man's torso — was chosen June 25 as the name of a new deep-sea vehicle under construction at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). The vehicle, known until now as the Hybrid Remotely Operated Vehicle, or HROV, will be able to work in the deepest parts of the ocean, from 6,500 m to 11,000 m (21,500 ft. to 36,000 ft.), a depth cur- rently unreachable for routine ocean research. Scientists also plan to use it to explore remote, difficult-to-reach areas, including under the Arctic ice cap. Engineers and ship's crew will transform Nereus from a free-swimming vehicle for wide-area ocean surveys to a vehicle teth- ered by a cable to a surface ship for close- up investigation and sampling of seafloor rocks and organisms. The transformation will take six to eight hours and happen on the ship's deck. The $5m, battery-operated vehicle will be the first ever designed to transform from a guided, tethered robot to a free-swimming vehicle. The vehicle is scheduled for sea trials in early 2007, and scientists plan to use it for research later that year at Challenger Deep near Guam, the deepest spot in the world's oceans. www.seadiscovery.com Marine Technology Reporter 7 news Visit www.maritimeequipment.com/mt & Click No. 214 New WHOI Deep-Sea Hybrid Vehicle Gets a Mythical Name (Illustration by Jack Cook, W oods Hole Oceanographic Institution) NEREUS: Sea god called by Homer “Old Man of the Sea,” noted for his wisdom, gift of prophecy, and ability to change his shape. He was the son of Pontus, a per- sonification of the sea, and Gaea, the Earth goddess. The Nereids (water nymphs) were his daughters by the Oceanid Doris, and he lived with them in the depths of the sea, particularly the Aegean. Source: In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved July 10, 2006, from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9055314 MTR#6 (1-16).qxd 7/11/2006 11:59 AM Page 9
