ROV Scorpio
Scorpio is the name for a remotely controllable, unmanned submersible robot ( R emotely O perated V ehicle) extending from the underwater rescue services of the Royal Navy and United States Navy is used. Diving robots are required when the use of divers is no longer possible or too dangerous due to the depth of the water. The Scorpio is operated by six people on board a rescue ship. It is connected to these via a cable through which the control commands and the data from the cameras are transmitted. A lead time of around twelve hours is required for an assignment.
There are two versions, the Scorpio 45 of the British Navy and the Super Scorpio of the US Navy. While the Super Scorpio reaches a greater depth, the Scorpio 45 has a wider range of technical equipment. This had to be reduced in the Super Scorpio in order to at least partially compensate for the additional weight of the more massive construction. Great Britain has a Scorpio in Glasgow for worldwide use , the USA two in San Diego . They can be transported by plane to anywhere in the world in less than 24 hours.
The Scorpios are used for a wide variety of tasks. Their original purpose was the maintenance and repair of underwater pipelines. In 1985 a Scorpio was first used to recover a flight recorder after a Boeing 747 crashed into the Atlantic off Ireland . The Scorpio 45 is also used by the Royal Navy for underwater exploration. It was used in the rescue of seven Russian sailors who were trapped on the seabed in their Pris-class rescue submarine off the Kamchatka Peninsula in August 2005 .
Technical specifications
| category | Scorpio 45 | Super Scorpio |
|---|---|---|
| Length: | 2.75 meters | 2.42 meters |
| Width: | 1.80 meters | 1.22 meters |
| Height: | 1.80 meters | 1.22 meters |
| Weight: | 1.4 tons | 2.04 tons |
| Diving depth: | 925 meters | 1520 meters |
| Equipment: |
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| Special: | Usually oxygen candles and medication are also available, as well as an underwater telephone that rescuers can use to contact caged seafarers. |
