Rhode Island Shipwrecks Event aboard URI's R/V Endeavor

[AfterDark]

I work for the Navy in Newport, this is pathetic that URI can't get it together for a simple swim around the U-853. I say that when I am a URI OE MS alumni and have 2 sons as current URI seniors. This should not be a difficult mapping to conduct.

I have 2 daughters that are alumni of URI also. I've always been to dumb for a real collage, I'm a collage of hard knocks alumni, but until now I always looked at URI as the "experts" on and below the water. It is with much regret I'm changing that view. You used the E word before that and disappointment too. Maybe it'll get better although there's not much time left, one good hurricane passing off the coast and it's game over. Ever dive a week or two after that happens?! It's like diving in a cup of light coffee!

 

[ScubaGypsy]

I just finished watching the final two recorded broadcasts from yesterday, 06 September 2015. In yesterday mornings 11 am broadcast (number 5 of 6), they finally "mapped" the U-853. However it was a mess since they apparently were not able to have a stabilized mother ship platform because the R/V Endeavor does not have dynamic stabilizers. This means that they had to use live ROV drops where the ship maneuvors against the current and therefore the ROV itself is unstable. In other words, wrong ship for this use.

When they finally showed us the ROV live video, all they basically showed was green water with a very faint shadow. Apparently they don't even use lights for their video? I've seen GoPros on divers heads that had magnitudes better quality. Here's an idea, how about using a GoPro with two 50 W HID Light Monkey lights mounted on the ROV?

I understand that this exercise was a training mission for secondary teachers and URI students as much as anything else. But in the end it showed everyone that URI is using the wrong tools for the wrong jobs. Furthermore, even the production coordination of the broadcasts was amateurist as it was uncoordinated and disconnected.

Hopefully URI will review these broadcasts in-depth and make sure that such future events are more appropriately planned and coordinated.​

 

[AfterDark]

The whole thing made me go HUH? I hope the URI people got what they wanted out of it because I sure didn't. Better luck next time!