Épaulard is a French remotely operated underwater vehicle of the Ifremer. She was the first robotic submarine capable of taking photographs at a depth of 6000 metres. Built in 1980, Épaulard was decommissioned in 1991.

Design

Épaulard was designed and built by ECA Group[1] She was teleoperated from a support ship by means of acoustic signals.[2] While the submarine herself displaced three tonnes, the entire system would use up 35m² of deck space and weight 20 tonnes; such systems were installed on a number of Ifremer ships such as Noroît, Suroît, Atalante or Jean Charcot.[2]

In 1983, she was upgraded with a vertical propeller and a remote TV system with acoustic broadcast of images.[2]

Career

Starting in 1981, Épaulard was used for the study of nodules and shipwrecks on the Pacific seafloor.[2]

She was decommissioned in 1991, having performed 200 missions.[2]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e f g III.5.- PHOTOGRAPHIES CONTINUES DU FOND MARIN, Ifremer
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l L'Epaulard, Ifremer
  3. ^ AUV System Spec Sheet
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89paulard
No tags for this post.