The new equipment, which also includes a Fly Away Survey Kit and the Remus 100S autonomous underwater vehicle, aims to modernise the collection and processing of geospatial data by Navy hydrographers.

Operations Officer Maritime Geospatial Warfare Unit Lieutenant Commander Paul Clark said the team in Adelaide developed the procedures for launching the survey vessel.

“Our priority for the launch was to test our ability to deploy the survey craft from an LHD [landing helicopter dock]. We can now train members of our deployable geospatial support team so they can familiarise themselves with the new survey craft,” LCDR Clark explained.

The Polaris is equipped with a range of technologies, including a multi-beam echo sounder, side-scan sonar, and sub-bottom profiler, and has an ability to deploy its own autonomous underwater vehicle.

LCDR Clark said the survey craft would give Navy teams improved capability in a number of areas.

“The survey craft will allow the deployable geospatial support teams to complete tasks such as surveying shipping lanes, beaches, anchorage areas and areas affected by natural disasters in which navigational accuracy is not guaranteed,” he said.

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Navy’s Hydrographic, Meteorological and Oceanographic Group has four deployable geospatial support teams that have been training for the past 12 months on the new capabilities being delivered under the SEA 1770 project.

Project SEA 1770’s aim is to modernise the approach hydrographers have to rapid environmental assessment.

These new systems will also be utilised when responding to a humanitarian or disaster relief situation, to enable the faster and more reliable collection and dissemination of data.

With the final operational capability of all SEA 1770 equipment expected to be delivered in 2020, the teams are looking forward to deploying on exercises such as RIMPAC, Sea Series and Exercise CROIX DU SUD with the Fly Away Deployable Kit, Survey Craft and AUVs.