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Going Overboard

The hybrid remotely operated vehicle (HROV) Nereus is launched from the research vessel Cape Hatteras during the first research cruise to search for deep-sea hydrothermal vents along the Mid-Cayman Rise. The science team used Nereus first in “autonomous” or free-swimming mode to map potential vent sites. Despite a brush with tropical storm Ida, the expedition, conducted in 2009, turned up evidence of three distinct types of hydrothermal venting along the 110km ridge. In addition—because Nereus did not require heavy cables and associated equipment—the expedition proved that the technology exists to send Nereus to great depths and observe the seafloor from a much smaller research ship than had ever previously been possible.(Photo by Advanced Imaging and Visualization Laboratory, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)