Orion – A Hydrographic Survey Vessel
While Substructure was making its mark over the years as a high-quality commercial diving and search-and-recovery contractor, the Substructure team was often required to work with-low quality marine survey and mapping products. Based largely on their dissatisfaction with many of the survey products that they had been exposed to over the years, Substructure’s engineers and technicians set out to design and build an inshore survey platform that would allow them to efficiently and reliably acquire accurate, high-resolution seafloor characterization data. The result is Orion.
Orion was designed specifically to conduct nearshore multibeam surveys capable of satisfying the International Hydrographic Organization’s (IHO) Special Order standards, while also enabling fast and predictable mobilizations. Throughout the design/build process, numerous and often time-consuming steps – for example, reducing hull twist, minimizing engine and electrical noise, placing and aligning sensors with high precision, and optimizing transducer location to minimize surface noise — were taken to enhance the boat’s overall ability to acquire exceptionally high-quality data. The vessel was designed around a system of Substructure-owned multibeam survey components, yet remains readily adaptable to integration with various manufacturers’ latest and greatest sensors. Orion also has A-frame and davit attachments, a large working deck, and an open transom, making it well suited to support a variety of survey, sampling, and instrument deployment/recovery operations.
