MBES and the Mapping of

UXO and WWII Wreck

Surveying

Lieutenant Commander Matt Wray, RNZN,

Commanding Officer

HMNZS RESOLUTION

Overview

• Background

– Organisation

– MBES

• OPERATION CALYPSO Part 1

• OPERATION CALYPSO Part 2

• Questions

BACKGROUND - Organisation

• In 2009 Old RES Survey Positions

Transferred

• Establishment of the Littoral

Warfare Support Group

• Creation of the MST

– DHSU

– OSU

• Co-located with ODT and MCMT

• RES Platform, Specialists Embark

for Specific Task

BACKGROUND - MBES

• Late 90’s MD 2-30

• 00’s MD 2-30 & FS20

• 2010 FS20

– Increasingly Difficult to Support

– Over 10 years Old

– Becoming Unreliable

• Late 2010 RESON SeaBat 7125

– Met Contract Specifications in all Areas.

– Widely Used and Proven Commercial

MBES System

• TBC Transferred April 12 after RES

Decommissions

Comparison

FS20 Seabat 7125

Survey Speed

To achieve LINZ MB -1

6kts 8kts

Beams Equiangle Equidistant or Equiangle

Stabilisation Nil Roll stabilisation

Frequency Single Dual

Max depth 100m 300m

Object detection 1m² 1m²

Seabed Texture/contact

detection

Side scan Sonar image Backscatter (snippets)

Side scan sonar

Trial Results

Practical Implications

• Improved Efficiency

– 30% more line miles over set time period

– Less overlap between lines required

• Continue Surveying in Higher Sea States

• Detection of Small Objects at Higher Speeds

OPERATION CALYPSO Part 1

• ADF Lead Operation Render Safe – NZ desig

OP PUKAURUA

• 2011 Simpson Harbour, Rabaul, PNG

• location, Identification and Disposal of WW2

Explosive Remnants of War

• RES to Conduct Hydrographic Confidence

Survey

– ZOC (A2, B, C)

– Paint the Picture

MBES SET-UP

• RESON 7125

• 400kHz, with 200kHz employed as

the depth increased at the harbour

entrance.

• Caris HIPs and SIPs

• ArcGIS

ENVIRONMENT

ENVIRONMENT

UXO

• The known UXO tended to be ivo Wrecks and in

the Shallows

PRODUCTS

YAMAYURI MARU (TBC)

Shoal Depth – 42m

MAN MARU (TBC)

Shoal Depth – 21m

KOSEI MARU (TBC)

Shoal Depth – 23m

ITALIA MARU (TBC)

Shoal Depth – 29m

UNCHARTED CONTACTS

Depth – 80m

Depth – 105m

The Submarine – RES041

Depth – 54m

Depth – 18m

Zero

OP CALYPSO Part 1 - SUMMARY

• 7125 Performed very well for the Hydrographic Survey

• RES good platform for MBES Hydrographic Survey,

however with a 5m draught – limited in the ability to

maximise the shallows for UXO location

• Good Concurrent Operations and SOP’s with RES

providing Navigational Confidence and Higher

Frequency Sonar on AUV’s conducting the detailed

search

• Need to conduct at least a month in advance

• Good use of ‘Paint the Picture’

• Full Water Column Data Gathered, but not Visualised at

this Stage

OP CALYPSO Part 2 – SOLOMON IS

HMNZS MOA

Shoal Depth – 33m

USS KANAWHA

Shoal Depth – 27m

GRUMMAN F4F WILDCAT WILDCAT

Shoal Depth – 40m

CATALINA

Shoal Depth – 25m

USS SEMINOLE

Shoal Depth – 25m

LANDING CRAFT

LANDING CRAFT

MISC

MISC

OP CALYPSO - Summary

• Unique opportunity

• Good results

• More contacts located in post processing

vs. online waterfall display

• One survey with mini ROS

• Nine sheets covered by H Notes

forwarded to LINZ

QUESTIONS?

QUESTIONS?