Images of the Research Vessel DAVIDSON and it's crew, equipment, and operations in the Gulf of Mexico Dec '06, taken by Brian K, the 2nd mate aboard. Her mission: forensic analysis of the wreck of the TYPHOON, a cutting edge tension leg oil rig which used to be floating and anchored 200 miles south east of Galveston . It now lies upside down in 125' of water in a field of other conventional oil platforms about 50 miles closer to the coastline, where what were the upper decks are now stuck in the mud . TYPHOON was reported to have been capsized by Hurricane Katrina when the large waves compressed or overstreached the tension legs holding it in place. The rig was uninhabited at the time, but most of the machinery (living quaters, helicopter pad,generators, etc.) and equipment broke free of the platform as it capsized, this was seen as a trail of deris by preliminary sonar scans of the seabed. DAVIDSON has onboard two conventional towed sonar "fish", and was also carrying a third multi-sensor fish which featured a laser scanner. This $2 million vehicle was snagged by underwater cables in the debris fieldson its' first launch over the wreckage site, it snapped off the end of it's cable and was lost in 1700 feet of water as weather began to deteriorate. A nearby 200' ROV vessel the GARY CHOUEST literally came to the rescue, after setting themselves up over the last known position of the lost "fish", on computer controlled Dyamic Positioning in 25 knot winds and 7 foot seas. At midnight on December 14th, Brian maneuvered the 800 ton DAVIDSON alongside the port quarter of the 'CHOUEST, a line was floated to secure the DAVIDSON to her in position, by one bowline The 'CHOUEST's ROV (Remotely Operated Submersible) located and attached our cable to the lost fish by TV cameras and a "claw", and we were able to bring the laser fish back on board the DAVIDSON. The images in the latter half of the gallery show the story...