The Deep Drone is a submersible remotely operated vehicle

Remotely operated vehicle

A remotely operated vehicle is a tethered underwater vehicle. They are common in deepwater industries such as offshore hydrocarbon extraction. An ROV may sometimes be called a remotely operated underwater vehicle to distinguish it from remote control vehicles operating on land or in the air. ROVs...

 designed for mid-water salvage for the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

. One vehicle is based in Largo, Maryland

Largo, Maryland

Largo is an unincorporated area and census designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, in the United States. The population was 8,408 at the 2000 census....

, under the command of The U.S. Navy Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV), it is maintained and operated by Phoenix International Inc..
The vehicle is capable of operating at a depth up to 8000 feet as reflected in its full name: "The Deep Drone 8000". The vehicle has a target locating sonar

Sonar

Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...

 and two tool manipulators capable of working with tools and attaching rigging.

Specifications

• Displacement: 4,100 lb (1,860 kg)
• Length: 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m)
• Width: 4 ft 7 in (1.40 m)
• Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
• Maximum Depth: 8,000 ft (2,440 m)
• Speed: 3 knots cruise, 5 knots flank (6 and 9 km/h)
• Maximum lift: 3,200 lb (1,450 kg)
• Maximum payload: 300 lb (140 kg)

AS-28 Submersible Rescue

The U.S. sent a Deep Drone vehicle and a Scorpio vehicle to the location of a Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n Priz class

Priz class

The Priz class is a type of Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle operated by the government of Russia. There are known to be at least five vessels of the class, several of which were involved in the failed rescue attempt when the Kursk sank on 12 August 2000...

 submersible AS-28

AS-28

AS-28 is a of the Russian Navy, which entered service in 1986. It was designed for submarine rescue operations by the Lazurit design bureau in Nizhny Novgorod...

 which was trapped on the sea floor off the Kamchatka Peninsula

Kamchatka Peninsula

The Kamchatka Peninsula is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of . It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west...

 on 5 August 2005. The Russian vessel was released from cables trapping it on the sea floor by a British Scorpio ROV

Scorpio ROV

The Scorpio [Submersible Craft for Ocean Repair, Position, Inspection and Observation] is a brand of underwater submersible Remotely Operated Vehicle manufactured by Perry Tritech used by subsea industries such as the oil industry for general operations, and also by the United States Navy and...

 prior to the arrival of the Deep Drone. The vehicle was sent on a C-17 Globemaster III

C-17 Globemaster III

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...

from Charleston, South Carolina.

External links

• http://www.supsalv.org/00c2_deepDrone7200Rov.asp
• Rescuers rush to free Russian sub crew (CTV) 2005 6 August
• Britain flies in rescue vehicle to aid in rescue of Russian sub (The Scotsman) 2005 6 August