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Yellow Submersible Can Scan Bay For Bombs

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By STEVEN GIRARDI

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 29, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - The guest of honor was an 8-foot-long yellow metal device that looks like a torpedo.

Public officials including U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, city council members and Pinellas County commissioners came to sing its praises and congratulate the people who operate it.

"It's imperative that Tampa Bay be secure," Young, an Indian Rocks Beach Republican, said during a Thursday news conference. "This is exciting. This will be the test bed for the nation."

The Autonomous Undersea Vehicle was at the center of a recent experiment using remote underwater equipment to find and identify bombs planted near bridge pilings, including the Sunshine Skyway.

The vehicle found all the mines, "not to mention a few lobsters and road tires," said Steve Smith of the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Pensacola.

It also picked up serial numbers on the bombs and even fingerprints, which were matched to a member of the experiment team.

Capt. Tim Close, commander of the St. Petersburg Coast Guard station, called it impressive.

The underwater vehicle scanned the bottom of Tampa Bay and delivered photographs, including 3-D images.

"We know what's down there now," Close said.

The information will help the Coast Guard and Navy identify new or potentially threatening devices in the Bay and keep ports, bridges and waterways safe.

The electric exploration device can be controlled remotely, said Celeste Hansel of the Naval Surface Warfare Center. It can run up to 15 hours and dive to 600 feet, traveling at a little less than 6 mph, she said.

When its mission is complete, it returns to a pickup point, and information it has collected is downloaded.

The Homeland Security experiment was coordinated by SRI, a Silicon Valley-based company that opened offices in St. Petersburg to research topics such as port security and energy.

Young said the technology will help secure ports nationwide, and MacDill Air Force Base, from terrorist attacks.

"So much commerce goes through the Gulf of Mexico and ports on the west coast of Florida," he said. "It's imperative that Tampa Bay be secure."

Reporter Steven Girardi can be reached at (727) 451-2333 or sgirardi@tampatrib.com.

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