NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer

LITTLE HERCULES is on epart of Okeasnos Explorer's two-body ROV system. Owned by the Institute for Exploration, Little Hercules was entirely retrofitted by NOAA's Ocean Exploration and Research Program in 2009 for use on board Okeanos Explorer through a partnership between the two programs. Little Hercules is rated to 4,000 m depth, and always operates in concert with a second vehicle. Communication with Little Hercules is conducted over fiber optic cable, and control of the vehicle and all onboard sensors is via surface computers located in the Okeanos Explorer control room. Little Hercules is very maneuverable, with four electric thrusters mounted in a configuration that allows it to move through the water much like a helicopter moves in air. Little Hercules carries a single high-definition video camera, two additional task video cameras, two high-intensity lights, a depth and altitude sensor, a CTD, and a full-color sector-scan imaging sonar system. An ultra-short baseline navigation system tracks the vehicle while it is underwater.