Toward Shipless Survey: Endurance, Navigation, Routing, and Data Transfer Results from a 220 Mile AUV Deployment to the New England Shelf

We report results from a multi-day deployment of a REMUS 600 AUV to the New England Shelf focused on demonstrating essential technologies for the execution of high-resolution near-bottom offshore bathymetric surveys without requiring an attending vessel-shipless survey. Important technologies not already part of routine (tended) AUV operations are: vehicle endurance (i.e. sufficient onboard energy but also reliable operation and fault tolerance); navigation aiding in water depths too deep to permit surface-to-seafloor DVL bottom-lock; good route generation and selection from the perspectives of vehicle safety, logistical considerations, and energy use; and offshore transfer of exemplar bathymetric survey data to confirm satisfactory operation. Each of these were demonstrated during a recent deployment with a long-range REMUS 600 AUV and Wave Glider ASV in November of 2023. We discuss the successes and lessons learned from the deployment.