CAT 2.21 - Mary Ann Phone Home
Search for Amelia Log
When an AUV returns to the surface, its acoustic tracking system relays to the team where it’s located. However, if we’re out of range when it hits the surface, we’re unable to get a good fix on her. When that happens, the AUV is capable of taking a GPS reading on its location and then making a satellite phone call to give us those coordinates. Even then, we have to account for the time it takes us to get there and the drift of the vehicle. Once on site, it turns out the best way to search for a lost vehicle is with your own two eyes.
CAT 2.22 - Cataloging Critters
Search for Amelia Log
During the expedition, researchers from the University of Queensland carried out dozens of net trawls with the help of the AUV team. Every day, more specimens came aboard and that meant that the science team had to spend hours in the wet lab organizing, identifying, preserving, and packing hundreds of organisms. There were dozens of species of animals - and most of them were creatures none of us had ever seen before. The live catches proved to be one of the highlights of the expedition. The results of these efforts will benefit organizations and research initiatives around the world, including the Census of Marine Life and scientists at more than a dozen universities. In the end, the science program was one of the most far-reaching successes of our journey.
CAT 2.23 - Back on Track
Search for Amelia Log
Ginger’s collision with the ship’s propeller earlier in the week had left her sitting on deck, unable to work. While we ran survey operations with one vehicle, a replacement thruster assembly was working its way to us and finally arrived on site. The team immediately began working on getting Ginger back up and running, and by the following morning, we were fully operational again. We had two vehicles surveying nearly four miles below and we were back on track.
CAT 2.24 - Plane-Shaped Rocks
Search for Amelia Log
After more than a month of non-stop surveying, it’s hard not to get excited about a good-looking target. This particular target was incredibly promising. It was the right size and had the right shape and reflectivity for what we were looking for. After 24 hours of waiting for a more detailed picture of the bottom, we flipped through the new sonar data and a new set of photos, while the whole room held its breath.
CAT 2.25 - Too Much Time at Sea?
Search for Amelia Log
Spending more than a month at sea can turn you a bit loony, especially with the ups and downs of a search such as ours. Luckily, everyone brought a sense of humor on board.
CAT 2.26 - Homeward Bound
Search for Amelia Log
After four months of survey, the CATALYST 2 team recovered the last vehicle and headed home. Even though we didn’t locate Amelia Earhart’s lost Electra, the overwhelming feeling was one of accomplishment. We had run continuous 24/7 AUV operations at 5200 meters below the surface in one of the remotest regions of the ocean. Our AUVs flew more than 7000 linear miles over the ocean bottom, and our survey revealed 2200 square-miles of previously unmapped sea floor. Our science operations and net trawls were an outstanding success, and we managed to get every single person home - safe and sound. It was a mission none of us will soon forget.