REMUS 6000 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), manufactured by Hydroid, a Kongsberg Maritime company, was used to gather sonar data by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s team in the historic discovery of the USS Indianapolis wreckage earlier this month.
The ship was found 5,500 meters below the surface in the Philippine Sea seventy-two years after it went missing.
The AUV was equipped with EdgeTech 2205 sonar system as part of one of the many underwater technology systems onboard the research vessel Petrel, which carried the search expedition.
“We are honored to have had our REMUS 6000 be part of such a monumental discovery,” said Duane Fotheringham , president of Hydroid. “Paul Allen and his team have given the gift of solace to the survivors and the families of the brave men that lost their lives protecting our country. We are proud to have had our vehicle help solve this decades-long search.”
The Indianapolis was a U.S. Navy heavy cruiser that was torpedoed by the Japanese Navy during World War II. The ship is considered the greatest single loss of life at sea, from a single ship, in U.S. Navy history.