Autosub6000 – South West Approaches

The Story of Autosub

Autosub6000 – South West Approaches

2007

South West Approaches

Autosub6000

At the end of the Summer of 2007 NOC engineers had completed Autosub6000, a next-generation 6,000-m depth rated vehicle. This extended the 1,600-m depth rating of Autosub 3.

The increased depth was made possible by the use of innovative pressure tolerant lithium batteries. A new USBL system was also required to aid navigation.

In September, Autosub6000 had its first deep water trial aboard RRS Discovery as part of cruise D323. Led by Steve McPhail, the vehicle dived to 4,500 metres below sea level and stayed there for 90 minutes.