The R/V Western Flyer under way. Click image for a larger view.
Research Vessel Western Flyer
The Western Flyer, named for the famous boat that John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts took on their expedition to the Sea of Cortez, is one of several ocean exploration technologies operated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI).
Unlike a typical ocean research vessel, the Western Flyer is a “Small Water-plane-Area Twin Hull” or SWATH vessel. This catamaran-like design creates an exceptionally stable platform for ocean research, which is perfect for the delicate and potentially dangerous job of launching and recovering the three-and-a-half ton remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Tiburon.
The engines that drive the ship are housed in torpedo-like pontoons that float below the water surface at the end of long struts, which hold the body of the ship above the water. Because most of the vessel’s hull is above the water, the Western Flyer is much broader than a typical V-hull ship – creating more working space for laboratories and ROV operations.
The ROV Tiburon is carried within the belly of the Western Flyer, and is launched through the “moon pool” – a large doorway located on the bottom of the ship’s hull, between her struts. For launch, the moon pool doors are opened, and the ROV Tiburon is lowered into the water by one crane while a specially-built motion-compensated crane maintains the tether between the Western Flyer and the ROV Tiburon.
The R/V Western Flyer in the ship yard, showing the moon pool in the center below the hull, and the struts and pontoons on either side. Click image for a larger view and image credit.
The control room on board the R/V Western Flyer, from which the ROV Tiburon is piloted. Image courtesy of MBARI.
Once in the water, the ROV Tiburon is controlled from an on-board control room in the Western Flyer. Pilots and scientists seated in the control room get real-time video images from several cameras on the ROV, as well as data from various sensors. The pilots fly the ROV to the target site and perform all the delicate tasks of maneuvering the ROV, collecting samples, and deploying equipment needed for the research tasks at hand.
Since its delivery to MBARI in 1996, the Western Flyer has made numerous expeditions in the Monterey Canyon and around the Pacific. Scientists on board have used her to explore undersea volcanoes in Hawaii, hydrothermal vents of the Juan De Fuca Ridge, and to observe the behavior of carbon dioxide released on the sea floor. You can learn more about the vessel and follow her adventures on the MBARI website.
Click here to learn more about the R/V Western Flyer.
The Web team gratefuly acknowledges this contribution by Randy Kochevar from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
