Washington College Magazine
Seidel Gets Underwater Camera
Jacques Cousteau, step aside! Washington College has a new addition to the high-tech tool chest of sidescan sonar, magnetometers and seabed scanners for its undergraduate programs in archaeology and environmental studies. The College has received its first marine Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV)—a Titan SII ROV—donated by Morris "Chic" Ransone, president of Annapolis-based International Industries, Inc. The ROV will allow professors and students to image and record data on underwater sites for archaeological and environmental studies research projects.
Professor John Seidel receives the new underwater ROV from Morris "Chic" Ransone, president of Annapolis-based International Industries, Inc., who donated the ROV to the College.
"This donation provides another important tool in our growing array of underwater survey equipment," said John Seidel, Ph.D., associate professor of anthropology and environmental studies and an expert on marine archaeology. "Our staff and students will put it to good use in conjunction with our course on marine archaeology and an on-going survey of the Chester River. We will also use it to 'ground truth' underwater finds made with other instruments without having to put a diver in the water."
An ROV is essentially a watertight housing for a video camera that can dive below the surface of the water and transmit pictures back to a boat via a cable connection. An operator can maneuver the vehicle in any direction with a joystick control. Valued at $7,000, the ROV is the gift of International Industries, Inc., a firm that markets hydrographic and oceanographic equipment for science and industry.
"This ROV is a simple but versatile unit, with the kind of attributes that beginners and professionals can use," Seidel added. "I think our students will get a real thrill when they learn to operate something that they've probably only seen on the Discovery or National Geographic channels."
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