Seabed Worker also performed the recovery of the Apollo 11 Engine at 4,200m deep in the Atlantic. More information on this case can be found on the client, Amazon CEO and Chairman, Jeff Bezos’s ‘Expeditions’ website: http://www.bezosexpeditions.com/, where subsea footage of the ROVs in operation can be viewed.
Jeff Bezos: “This truly is a first class ship in every way, and we appreciate everything you did to make this mission successful.”
On 9th February, Seabed Worker departed from a frozen Byfjorden to recover the F-1 engines launched during the Apollo 11 missions as part of an expedition led by Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos. The 32 million horsepower engines had crashed into the sea, offshore Cape Canaveral, USA, after carrying their loads into space and re-entering the earth’s atmosphere at over 5000mph. The rockets then sunk three miles deep in the Atlantic, where they have rested for over 30 years, until being located by state-of-the-art deep sea sonar last year and now salvaged using Seabed Worker.
The whole operation was controlled from Seabed Worker, which acted as the platform for a highly sophisticated spread of subsea equipment. Two modern Schilling work class Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) with a depth capacity of 5,000m were flown by Swire Seabed pilots, whom, from their control rooms onboard, skillfully maneuvered the manipulators to rig slings around the artefacts. Complex technology lies behind the ROV systems; fibre optic cables relay data from the sea-floor to the vessel, whilst electric cables transfer high voltages to the vehicle. The rocket engines were then retrieved from the seabed in baskets using a lightweight, fibre rope, fed through a customised winch and tower system on Seabed Worker’s back deck.
Not only did the ROVs use high-definition cameras to video the remains of the engines on the seabed, but they also brought back a number of good quality pieces, including two flown F1 engines. The expedition team hopes these will be displayed in one of the Smithsonian institutions or Museum of Flight in Seattle. Bezos spent three weeks onboard with family members and intends for the adventure to inspire a spirit of exploration and invention amongst young people.
