Harbor Branch
Oceanographic Institution, Inc.

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Inc. (HBOI) is a not-for-profit marine science and ocean engineering research center employing over 350 technical staff at their 500 acre coastal facility in Ft. Pierce, Florida. Internationally recognized for expertise in designing, building and operating specialized sub-sea sampling and work packages, it was their fleet of research vessels, manned submersibles and unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) that were enlisted by NASA and the Navy to locate and recover the wreckage of the ill-fated Space Shuttle CHALLENGER. Harbor Branch brings this powerful capability to bear at SFOMC by providing the at-sea assets and experience needed to develop and install sub-sea instrumentation. In addition, engineers at HBOI have pioneered the areas of high-resolution optical and acoustic underwater imaging systems as well as environmental and oceanographic monitoring and telemetry systems.

Harbor Branch owns and operates three ships ranging from 115 ft. to 206 ft. in length as well as a fleet of approximately 50 small boats ranging in length to 45 ft. Harbor Branch's 42 ft. R/V SKIMMER has been specifically outfitted to serve as the surface support vessel for the OCEAN EXPLORER class of small UUVs. The Institution's three manned subs and three remote operating vehicles (ROVs) are equipped with robotic arms, cameras and lights necessary for deploying sensors and systems on the seafloor.

An example of the type of installation HBOI, with SFTF, can support at SFOMC, was the design and placement in 200 meters of water of a synthetic aperture sonar array that stood 100 ft. off the seafloor. It measured 120 ft. in length and weighed over 75,000 lb. Over 6 miles of fiber-optic cable was also deployed to bring the high bandwidth data back to shore.

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If you would like additional information, please contact:

Mr. Tom Metz, Detachment Director, South Florida Testing Facility Telephone: (954) 926-4000 Fax: (954) 926-4031