BRISTOL - Bzzz. Zwing! Assistant Bristol Harbormaster Matt Calouro nudges the joystick, and on a tiny LCD screen in front of him, the bottom of Bristol Harbor comes into view. There's a school of minnows hanging out behind a piling. Over to the left is a starfish, clinging to the rocky bottom. A tiny crab walks past.
Bzzz! As he works the joystick again, the submersible ROV — Remotely Operated Vehicle — he's maneuvering backs off from the bottom, kicks up a bit of sediment from its propellors and surfaces.
"How cool is that?" says Mr. Calouro.
Pretty cool. Mr. Calouro, who serves as assistant harbormaster, Warren's harbormaster and executive director of the National Harbormasters Association, has taken possession of a $28,000 ROV from Maritime Solutions of Warren.
The donated ROV, which allows searchers to scour the bottom without sending in divers, is available for use in victim recovery, underwater inspections and other tasks. It was used to help search for three students who disappeared from the University of Rhode Island earlier this year, to inspect pilings in the Cape Cod Canal, and examine the hull of the United States Coast Guard's 49-foot buoy tender in Bristol.
"We can use it for anything, really," he said. "Any emergency, it's ready."
Though small and light — it's about the size of a shoe box and weighs five or six pounds — the ROV packs a punch. It can dive to 250 feet, transmits full color, wide angle views of the bottom, and can travel at several knots. Its yellow tether, a length of fiber optic and power cables, connects to a portable screen and control console, and it can dive in nearly any weather.
"It's really a great tool," said Mr. Calouro. "You don't have to worry about putting anybody in the water, you don't have to worry about the water temperature."
Other departments have taken notice. Several, having seen Bristol and Warren's in action, are in the process of soliciting grants to buy their own. The ROV will even be shown off to harbormasters across the state next month, when Mr. Calouro holds a one-day class on its operation.
"It's very versatile," said Mr. Calouro, who added that it has obvious applications inspecting vessels for security purposes as they enter Rhode Island ports.
Just don't call the harbormaster's office when you drop your keys over the side while moored in Bristol Harbor.
"It's for emergencies only," he said. "That's not an emergency."
By Ted Hayes
thayes@eastbaynewspapers.com