Fox News Reports National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration uses the real-time 3D Echoscope® imaging sonar during WWII-era aircraft carrier scan

Coda Octopus reported in April 2015 (Coda Octopus and NOAA Use Echoscope to Obtain High Res 3D Images of Sunken WWII ship), that NOAA, working with Boeing, have used the Echoscope® real-time 3D sonar to generate distinctive 3D images of the former USS independence, a light aircraft carrier which saw service during the American naval offensive in the Pacific during World War II.

Little was known about The Independence, which was one of 90 vessels assigned to Operation crossroads, until its discovery about a half mile underwater off California's Farallon Islands in April 2015.

Fox News has now reported (click here for the full article) that researchers were able to compare real-time 3D Echoscope® sonar images of the wreck to uncover the carrier’s use as a radiological laboratory and nuclear waste receptacle. Jamie Delgado, a lead researcher at NOAA stated “Now we not only know what shape she’s in and where she lies, but also exactly what happened to the Independence”.

The full story can be read here

Researchers from the NOAA installed the real-time 3D Echoscope® sonar to an AUV system to generate a detailed picture of the 622-foot-long (190m) ship, revealing that it is “amazingly intact”, as one of NOAA’s scientists said. The 3D images also revealed what seems to be a plane in the carrier's hangar, the researchers noted.

NOAA has been using Echoscope® technology since 2013 when Coda Octopus provided a 3D image of the Fernstream wreck near San Francisco. After evaluating this detailed, 3D image NOAA was able to more accurately assess the potential environmental threat.

The Echoscope® is a volumetric sonar that produces over 16,000 beams per ping, enabling it to provide real-time geo-referenced mapping and images. Real-time detailed images enable users to make immediate assessments, see features that may not be shown by other sonars and to adjust their dynamic survey to further reduce shadows and see more details.

“By using technology to create three-dimensional maps of the seafloor and wrecks like Independence, we can not only explore, but share what we’ve learned with the public and other scientists” said Frank Cantelas, archaeologist with NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.

The results of the wreck investigation were also reported in the UK by ITV news -click here for the full article

Further details of the wreck survey using the Boeing AUV can be found on YouTube 

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