Government ocean mapping ship makes SC port call

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The federal government’s only ship dedicated to mapping the planet’s largely unknown oceans is making a port call in South Carolina on its way to do more research in the Gulf of Mexico.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Okeanos Explorer left Rhode Island earlier this month.

The vessel uses cutting edge technology with remotely operated vehicles that can dive beneath the waves and feed high definition images of the ocean to scientists anywhere in the world in real time.

The vessel has state-of-the art video and sonar and can beam the images through a satellite dish mounted high above the vessel.

The ship made its maiden voyage two years ago. Off Indonesia, it observed what are thought to be 40 new species of coral and 50 other animal species.