University Is Short One Sub as Vessel Sinks Off Molokai
The University of Connecticut’s fleet is short one remote-controlled submarine.
The submarine, insured for $71,100, sank in 378 feet of water on Dec. 9 off the island of Molokai in Hawaii when its control cable snapped, officials said.
The submarine, measuring about 2 feet by 3 feet by 2 feet, is “essentially a camera with some motors on it,” Peter J. Auster of the university’s National Undersea Research Center said Wednesday.
The submarine, one of two the university owns, was on loan to the University of Hawaii. The two universities are among five U.S. schools with undersea research centers supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Auster said.
He said a University of Hawaii crew will probably attempt to recover the vessel next month.
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