Sea Dragon-class ROV

Sea Dragon-class remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROUVs) are a class of Chinese remotely operated vehicle (ROV) used to perform various underwater tasks such as oil platform service, salvage, and rescue missions. Following the successful development of the original Sea Dragon (海龙), a series of ROUVs based on it have been developed. The original model had a diving capability up to 3,500 meters, but subsequent models were designed to meet a variety of operating conditions.

The Sea Dragon series ROUVs were foundational in the domestic development of ROUVs in China. Numerous ROUVs were subsequently developed directly based on experience gained from the Sea Dragon series.

Background

Although numerous types of ROUVs were developed in China in the 1980s and 1990s, they were limited by maximum operating depths of less than 1,000 meters, which is not enough for tasks like deepwater exploration and repairs. The Sea Dragon-class ROUV was developed to meet this urgent need for ROUVs capable of deepwater operations. China developed the ROUV independently, since it was too costly to obtain foreign assistance on the international market.

Funding for the development of the Sea Dragon-class ROUV was provided by COMRA (中国大洋协会) (China Ocean Mineral Resource Research and Development Association, 中国大洋矿产资源研究开发协会). The Institute of Underwater Engineering (水下工程研究所) of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SHJTU) was named as the contractor. Ren Ping (任平), a professor at School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Civil Engineering (Archived at the Wayback Machine (archived 2009-04-27)) of SHJTU served as general designer. Other important design team members included Zhu Jimao (朱继懋),^{[1][2][3][4] [5][6]} another SHJTU professor, who was the general designer of earlier Type 7103 DSRV and the general designer of earlier HR-01 ROUV.

Sea Dragon-1 ROUV

Sea Dragon-1 (usually simply referred as Sea Dragon) ROUV begun its final sea trials on 29 July 2004, and subsequently entered Chinese service in the same year (production index: JTR-41).^[7] However, it was not until 2011, more than half a decade later, that it finally become fully capable of operating regularly at the maximum depth originally designed. Since then, Sea Dragon has successfully performed numerous missions.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

It is equipped with half a dozen underwater cameras, one of which is specifically for stationary objects, and half a dozen underwater lights for illumination. Additionally, there are two high-intensity discharge lamps for additional illumination, and sonar for additional search capability. A 100-horsepower propulsion system powers four thrusters for horizontal movement and two thrusters for vertical movement. There are two manipulators—one with 7 degrees of freedom (DOF) and another with 5 DOF—capable of handling several hundred kilograms of weight, and able to perform a variety of tasks underwater.

The tether management system weighs 2.5 tons, while the cable spool with steel cables weighs over 40 tons. To avoid the loss of the ROUV in bad weather, as in the case of Kaikō in 2003, a specially designed mechanism was incorporated to prevent such mishaps.

Specifications:^[7]

• Length: 3.17 meters
• Width: 1.81 meters
• Height: 2.24 meters
• Weight: 3.45 tons
• Operating depth: 3,500 meters
• Payload: 250 kg
• Speed: 3.3 kt
• Propulsion: 100 SHP

Sea Dragon-2 ROUV

Sea Dragon-2 (also stylized as Sea Dragon II) is the successor of Sea Dragon, developed by the same designer and also funded by COMRA. Performance analysis of Sea Dragon led to design improvements seen in Sea Dragon-2 ROUV. From 29 April to 17 May 2008, Sea Dragon-2 ROUV successfully completed its final sea trials in the South China Sea under the leadership and supervision of Professor Zhu Jimao, and subsequently entered Chinese service; however, similar to its predecessor, Sea Dragon-2 did not become fully capable of regularly operating at its maximum depth until 2011.

Sea Dragon-2's most obvious improvement is its speed of descent. Sea Dragon-2 is almost twice as fast as Sea Dragon-1 in reaching the maximum operating depth of 3,500 meters (30 minutes, as compared to 50 minutes for Sea Dragon-1). Reliability, maintainability, and availability are also improved for Sea Dragon-2.

Despite these improvements, the size and weight of Sea Dragon-2 are almost identical to that of Sea Dragon-1 due to its more advanced technologies. Other physical characteristics and performance parameters remain the same as that of Sea Dragon-1. Since its completion, Sea Dragon-2 has also successfully completed many missions. ^{[8][9][10][11]}

Specifications:^{[8][9][10][11]}

• Length: 3.8 meters
• Width: 1.8 meters
• Height: 1.8 meters
• Weight: 3.45 ton
• Operating depth: 3,500 meters
• Payload: 250 kg
• Propulsion: 125 SHP

Sea Dragon 3

Sea Dragon 3 (also stylized as Sea Dragon III) is a development of the earlier Sea Dragon-2, and its general designer is SHJTU professor Ge Tong (葛彤).^{[12][13][14][15][16]} Its maximum operating depth of 6,000 meters is nearly double its predecessor's (3,500 meters), and its payload also increased by 40% to 350 kg.^{[12][13][14][15][16]}

Specifications:^{[12][13][14][15][16]}

• Operating depth: 6,000 meters
• Payload: 350 kg
• Propulsion: 170 SHP

Sea Dragon 4E

Sea Dragon 4E is designed mainly for underwater engineering tasks, such as surveillance, inspection, cleaning, cutting, welding, and construction work of oil platforms and hydraulic projects.^{[16][17][18][19]}

Sea Dragon 11000

Sea Dragon 11000 is an ROUV that is capable of operating at a depth of 11,000 meters.^{[20][21][22][23][24][25]} As with earlier models in the Sea Dragon series, the maximum diving depth was not achieved on the first attempt. Instead, the diving depth was gradually increased with each dive attempt; significant milestones include reaching a depth of 410 meters on its first dive on 30 March 2018,^[21][22] reaching 2,000 meters in April 2018,^[20][21][22] reaching 6,000 meters in September 2018,^{[20][23][24][25]} and finally reaching its planned diving depth of 11,000 meters in 2021.^[20]

Specifications:^[20][21][22]

• Maximum operating depth: 11,000 meters

JTML-02

JTML-02 is an ROUV designed for digging tasks on the seabed as part of construction work when laying underwater power and communication cables.^[26]

Specifications:^[26]

• Length: 1 meter
• Width: 5.4 meters
• Height: 2 meters
• Digging depth: 2.5 meters
• Operating depth: 50 meters
• Maximum diameter of cable allowed: 0.16 meters

JTMP-03

JTMP-03 is an ROUV designed for digging tasks on the seabed as part of construction work when laying underwater cables and pipelines.^[27]

Specifications:^[27]

• Length: 9 meters
• Width: 5 meters
• Height: 3.355 meters
• Digging depth when laying cables: 2 meters
• Digging depth when laying pipes: 3 meters
• Operating depth: 100 meters
• Maximum diameter of cable allowed: 0.16 meters
• Maximum diameter of pipe allowed: 0.8 meters

JTMP-04 Walrus

JTMP-04 Walrus (Chinese: 海象; pinyin: Hai-Xiang) is an ROUV designed for digging tasks on the seabed as part of construction work when laying underwater cables and pipelines.^[28]

Specifications:^[28]

• Length: 11 meters
• Width: 10 meters
• Height: 5.5 meters
• Digging depth: 4 meters
• Operating depth: 100 meters
• Maximum diameter of cable and pipe allowed: 1.5 meters

JTR-11

JTR-11 is a lightweight underwater ROUV designed for observation missions. It is equipped with LED lights and a CCD camera.^[29]

Specifications:^[29]

• Length: 0.65 meters
• Width: 0.45 meters
• Height: 0.3 meters
• Weight: 22 kg
• Operating depth: 100 meters
• Speed: 0.5 kt

JTR-21

JTR-21 is designed for underwater inspection and search missions. It is equipped with LED lights, 2 CCD cameras, and Canadian Imagenex Model 881 digital multi-frequency imaging sonar.^[30]

Specifications:^[30]

• Length: 1 meter
• Width: 0.56 meters
• Height: 0.5 meters
• Weight: 60 kg
• Operating depth: 200 meters
• Payload: 10 kg
• Speed: 3.3 kt

JTR-31

JTR-31 is designed for use in underwater construction. It is equipped with 2 manipulators, LED lights, 2 CCD cameras, and Canadian Imagenex Model 881 digital multi-frequency imaging sonar.^[31]

Specifications:^[31]

• Length: 2 meters
• Width: 0.7 meters
• Height: 0.9 meters
• Weight: 200 kg
• Operating depth: 200 meters
• Speed: 3 kt
• Payload: 50 kg

JTR-F1

JTR-F1 is a lightweight ROUV designed for underwater rescue missions, especially when there is a need to venture inside wreckage.^[32]

In addition to a CCD camera and LED lights, JTR-F1 also carries batteries on board, and thus is remotely operated via a much lighter fiber optic cable, without the need of a power cable.^[32]

Specifications:^[32]

• Length: 1 meter
• Width: 0.4 meters
• Height: 0.3 meters
• Weight: 25 kg
• Operating depth: 100 meters
• Speed: 2 kt
• Endurance: 10 hours

JTR-H1

JTR-H1 is a lightweight ROUV for underwater observation missions in radioactive environments. It can also be used for inspection inside pipelines.^[33] It is equipped with a CCD camera, LED lights, and a manipulator.^[33]

Specifications:^[33]

• Length: 0.47 meters
• Width: 0.49 meters
• Height: 0.41 meters
• Weight: 31 kg
• Speed: 1 kt

References

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Landing helicopter dock (LHD) or Landing helicopter assault (LHA) Type 076* Type 075 (Yushen class) Amphibious transport dock (LPD) Type 071 (Yuzhao class) Dock landing ship (LSD) Type 072III (Yuting I class) Type 072A (Yuting II class) Landing ship helicopter (LSH) Type 073-III (Yudeng class) Type 073A (Yunshu class) Landing ship tank (LST) Type 072 (Yukan class) Type 072-II (Yuting I class) Landing ship medium (LSM) Type 271IIIA (Yulü class) Type 073-I (Yudao class) Type 073-II (Yudao class) Type 073-IIY (Yudao class) Type 074A (Yubei class) Type 079-I (Yulian class) Type 079-II (Yulian class) Landing craft (LC) Landing craft tank (LCT) Type 068/069 (Yuch'in class) Type 067 (Yunnan class) Landing craft utility (LCU) Type 271III Type 074 (Yuhai or Wuhu-A class) Air-cushioned landing craft (LCAC) Project 1232.2 Zubr class Type 726 (Yuyi class) Type 724 Type 722-II (Jinsha II class) Type 722-I (Jinsha I class) Type 716-II (Dagu B class)

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Ammunition ships (AE/AEM) Ammunition ship (AE) Type 072 (Yantai class) Ammunition ship, Missile/Rocket (AEM) Yuan Wang 21 (operated by SSF) Yuan Wang 22 (operated by SSF) Buoy tenders (AGL) Type 066 Yuch'in class Type 744A Yannan class Type 911I Yunan/Yunnan class Type 944A Yanni class Cable layers (ARC) Type 911II Yunan/Yunnan class Type 991I Type 991II Youdian class Cargo ships (AK) Reefer ships (AF) Dongleng class Cargo ships (AK) Qiongsha class Retired landing ships/crafts Float-on/float- off ships (AKF) Modified Hansa Sonderberg class Donghai Island Zhen Hua 33 General stores issue ships (AKS) Type 904 Dayun class Type 904A Danyao class Type 904B Danyao II class Roll-on/roll- off ships (AKR) Bo Sea Pearl class Chang Da Long China Revival China Railway Bo Sea No.3 Container ships (AKX) Converted/militarized container ships Self-propelled lighters/barges (YF) 500 cubic meter Dongbo 22 Crane ship (AB) Beiqi 384 class Unidentified class: Nan-Qi 746 Degaussing / deperming ships (ADG) 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Hospital ships (AH) Type 919 Anshen class Type 920 Anwei class Medical evacuation ships (AHP) Zhuanghe Ambulance transports (APH) Qiongsha class Ambulance craftd (YH) Ankang class Hydrographic survey ships (AGS) Type 55 Shantou class Type 068/069 (Yuch'in class) Type 635 A/B/C & Type 635II Yanlai class Type 636A Shupang class Type 639A Shupang class Type 646 Kanyang class Type 8101 Type 8105/Type 8154/Type 792 FT-14 AIT class Yanjiu class Icebreakers (AGB) Type 272 Museum ships PLANS Heroic Gunboat in the Toumenshan Naval Battle PLANS Liberation Minquan-class gunboat (replica) Project 183 P-6-class torpedo boat Type 021 missile boat Type 024 missile boat Type 031 ballistic submarine (SSB) Type 033 submarine (SS) Type 051 destroyer (DDG) Type 053K frigate (FFG) Type 091 submarine (SSN) Type 6607 destroyer (DDG) Oceanographic research ships (AGOR) Type 639A Shupang class Type 645 Zhang Jian Oceanographic surveillance ships (AGOS) Ruili No. 10 Type 927 Dongjian class Type 988 Personnel transport (AP) Barracks ships (APB) Daguan class AXT/APT/APB Dispatch boat (YFB/YFL) Duchuan class Dufei class Dukou class Duludao class Dumujiu class Dusso class Duzhou class Nanjiao 90 class Transport ships (AP) Type 081 Red Flag class Darong class APT/AP Troopships (APT) Daguan class AXT/APB/APT Darong class AP/APT Qiongsha class Range support & target ships (AGT) Dachou class TR/TWR/AGT Dubei class AGE/AGT Type 811 Type 917 Damen class TR/TWR/AGT Decommissioned ships Repair ships (AR) Repair dry docks (ARD) 120t class Dongxiu 912 Hua Chuan No. 1 class Repair ships (AR) Type 648 Dadao class Rescue and salvage ships Heavy-lift ship (YHLC) Type 633 Rescue ships (ARS) Datuo class ATR/ARS Haijiu 101 class Longma class YDT/ARS Type 917 Dasan class Salvage ships (ATS) Type 922II Dalang class Type 922III Dalang II class Type 922IIIA Dalang III class Spy ships (AGI) Type 814A Dadie class Type 815 Dongdiao I class Type 815G/Type 815A Dongdiao II class Type 8105/Type 8154/Type 792 FT-14 AIT class Submarine support ships Submarine rescue ships (ASR) Type 930 Hudong class Type 946 Dazhou class Type 946A Dadong class Submarine tenders (AS) Type 925 Dajiang class Type 926 Dalao class Submersibles (X) Deep-submergence rescue vehicle (DSRV) Type 7103 DSRV LR7 Deep-submergence vehicle (DSV) Harmony class Jiaolong class Rainbowfish class Sea Pole class Struggler class Other Submersibles (X) Osprey-class submersible Mobile diving bell QSZ-II submersible Diver propulsion vehicles (DPV) QX-50 QY-18 QY-40 QJY-001 Tankers Replenishment tanker (AOR) Hua Chuan Transport oiler (AOT) Fubai class Fujian class Fushi class Type 620 Shengli class Type 631 Fuchang class Type 637 Fuxiao class Water tanker (AWT) Fujian class Fushi class Jinyou class Nanshui 701 class Type 637 Fuxiao class Type 645 Guangzhou class Technological research ships Sonar trials ships Kantan class AGE/AGTR Technical research ships (AGTR) Mirage Hunter Unclassified Miscellaneous Submarine (IXSS) Chinese sailless submarine Torpedo trials craft Torpedo retrievers (TR/TWR) Dachou class AGT/TR/TWR Type 803 Type 917 Damen class AGT/TR/TWR Torpedo trials ships (YTT) Type 906 Xiang Yang Hong 9 class AGE/YTT Type 907A Tracking ship (AGM) Type 830 ATR/AGM Yuanwang class ARIS/AGM Training ships (AX) Training ship (AX) Daguan APB)/APT/AXT Type 0891A Dashi class Type 679 Daxing class Type 680 Dadu class Yanxi class ATLS/AX Training ship, sail (AXS) Type 2630 Onshore stationary training facilities Type 033 (Romeo class) Type 051/051Z (Luda class) Type 053H1Q (Jianghu-IV class) Type 6607 (Anshan class) Tugs (AT) Harbor tug (YT) Beituo 617 class Beituo 699 class Beituo 702 class Beituo 715 class Large harbor tug (YTB) Ducha class Duda class Duhast class Dupo class Rescue Tug (ATR) Bei-Tuo 739 class Datuo class ARS/ATR Dong-Tuo 835 class Haixiu 121 class Daozha class Type 830 AGM/ATR Sea-going Tug (ATA) Type 802 Gromovoy class Type 837 Hujiu class Type 852 Roslavl class Tugs of unknown class/type Bei-Tuo 153, 651, 704, 728, Dong-Tuo 845, 861, Nan-Tuo 142, 163, 168, 176, 187, 188 UAV mothershps (ATLS) Fighting Shark No.1 Yanxi class AGM/AVM/ATLS Unmanned surface vehicles (USV) CASIC USVs Chinese Sea Hunter Sky Journey 1 HUST USVs JARI USV JUST USV Ostar USVs PWT USV Shanghai University USV Type 80 demolition boat VVLAI USV WSST USVs Yunzhou USVs Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) CR series Explorer series HSU-001 Intelligent Water class JUST AUVs Micro Dragon Series Orange Shark series Ostar AUVs Poseidon series Robosea AUVs Sea Clever Sea Whale series Submerged Dragon series THLMT AUVs Wukong WZODA XTDT Benthic landers CAS series Rainbowfish series Bottom crawlers Aquadrobotman series CSSC series Deepinfar series JUST series Robosea series SBSS series Sea Crab Sea Star THLMT unmanned vehicles#Underwater series VVLAI series Hybrid UUVs (Autonomous remotely -operated vehicles, ARVs) 7B8 Arctic series Hadal Hadal 1 Rainbowfish ARV Remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROUV) 8A4 8H4 Aquarobotman ROUV Deepinfar ROUVs Discovery Dragon Emperor Dragon Pearl Goldfish series JH-01 (Jiao-Hai 01) JTD-01 Deep Eel I JTML-02 JTMP series JTR series JUST ROUVs Max ROV Oceanxer ROUVs Ostar ROUVs PWT ROUV RECON-IV ROUV Robosea ROUVs SBSS ROUVs Sea Dragon series Sea Person (Hai-Ren/HR) series Sea Pole Sea Star 6000 Sea Submergence series SJT series ST-6000 THLMT ROUVs VVLAI ROUVs Walrus 1500 Underwater gliders Flying Wing Petrel series Sea Soar series Deepinfar Sea Wing series THLMT series Wave gliders CSSC series Hydrovo series Ostar series THLMT Black Pearl Weapon trials ships (AVM/AGM) Type 909 Wuhu-B class Type 909A Dahua class Type 910 Dahua-II class

* = Under construction or procurement, ^CG= Classified as guided missile cruiser by NATO, ^FF= Classified as light frigate by PLAN