RV Cefas Endeavour 13/17
Cruise plan
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RV Cefas Endeavour (74E9) |
| Cruise identifier | 13/17 |
| Cruise period | 2017-06-28 — 2017-06-30 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Lowestoft, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Lowestoft, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | MoD On-site Wreck Environmental Survey
Aims 1. Wreck integrity assessment/validation 2. Habitat characterisation (including contaminant load assessment) of the wreck site and surrounding area Plan The vessel will leave Lowestoft on 28 June to transit to the location of the RFA War Mehtar wreck. The survey will begin with a calibration of multibeam echosounder (MBES). Following successful calibration, acoustic survey operations will commence with full cover MBES survey of the 3 km x 3 km survey extent centred on the location of the wreck. On completion of the wider area MBES survey a high-frequency, targeted acoustic survey covering the wreck site will be carried out. MBES data will be processed on board to provide mapping leads with bathymetry and backscatter mosaics of the 3 km x 3 km survey extent. The onboard habitat mappers will provide a preliminary habitat map on delivery of the MBES products, which will be used to inform the design of the seabed characterisation element of survey. Following the acoustic survey the rosette will be deployed at a subset of stations along two predefined survey transects, one aligned with the predominant tidal direction and one perpendicular to the predominant tidal direction, running over the wreck site, to obtain in situ fluorimetry profiles. Water samples will be collected with the rosette as directed by the real-time results of the fluorimetry profiles. Grab samples and seabed imagery will be collected at locations determined on board, as part of the adaptive seabed characterisation survey strategy. Grab samples will be collected at up to 25 stations using either the 0.1m2 mini Hamon grab or the Day grab according to expected sediment type. A subset of the Day grab stations will also be sampled for sediment contaminants. Seabed imagery will be collected along planned camera tows at up to 25 stations, prioritising any hard substrate identified in the preliminary habitat map. SOL and EOL will be determined based on the map output. In situ fluorimetry measurements of vertical oil concentration will be obtained at the additional benthic sampling stations as appropriate to assist in informing the requirement for further water sampling and to determine the presence of local contaminant gradients. The vessel will leave the survey site in advance of returning to Lowestoft on 30 June. |
| Chief scientist | Marc Whybrow (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Lowestoft Laboratory) |
| Cruise programme |  (0.48 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | North Sea |
| Specific | RFA War Mehtar wreck (52.60605210 N, 2.14845118 E) |
