The trials of Autosub6000

摘要

Autosub6000 has returned from its first sea trials, on board the UK research ship RRS Discovery, in the abyssal NE Atlantic Ocean near 47° N, 11° W. The main objective of the trials was to demonstrate that Autosub6000 is ready for science missions to at least 4500 metres deep. Following a short test deployment in Falmouth Bay, England, (the first time that the autonomous underwater vehicle had ever run in water), the second mission took Autosub6000 to a depth of 4556 metres.