CV10_03 Cork and Waterford

The final INFOMAR survey of 2010 onboard the Celtic Voyager took place from the 26th September to the 5th October off the coast of Cork and Waterford from Ballycotton to Mine Head, continuing work from the second part of the CV10_02 leg earlier in the year.

Overview of multibeam sonar coverage achieved during the Celtic Voyager survey in the Southern Priority Area off Cork and Waterford.

This survey successfully joined datasets from 2008 off Cork and 2007 off Waterford and Wexford to form a continuous band of survey data from the Old Head of Kinsale, Co. Cork to Carnsore Point, Co. Wexford.

Coverage extents from INFOMAR surveys with the Celtic Voyager from 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 linking datasets from the Old Head of Kinsale east to Carnsore Point, covering a significant portion of the Southern Priority Area.

Multibeam sonar data of the wreck of the SS Bandon. This Irish cargo steamer of 80 metres in length was torpedoed by German U-Boat, UC-44 S of Mine Head on 13th April 1917. 28 crew were killed in the attack.

Further information on the wrecks surveyed by INFOMAR is available here.

Photograph of Ballycotton lighthouse from the Celtic Voyager.

All INFOMAR data is available for free download here.

CV10_02 Wexford Waterford and Cork

In July, the RV Celtic Voyager continued to survey the seabed off the coast of Wexford, Waterford and Cork. This data will be included in individual INFOMAR priority bays such as Waterford Harbour and also in the Southern Priority Area which extends from Carnsore Point, Co. Wexford westward along the south coast of Ireland. This leg was divided into two parts with the first period concentrated in an area between Hook Head and the Saltee Islands, continuing on from survey coverage achieved in 2009 on CV09_03. The Celtic Voyager has now surveyed a large portion of this area and the remaining shallow, nearshore area will be finished by the RV Keary in the future.

Overview of survey work completed by the Celtic Voyager off the Wexford coast in July with existing INFOMAR survey work shown in the hatched area.

Area of detail from the multibeam sonar data for an area of seabed SW of the Great Saltee. The is an interesting feature west of the Conningmore Rocks which is possibly an area of sediment accumulation in the lee of the rocks due tidal currents. West of this feature is a shallow area of rock outcrop known as the Red Bank.

Area of detail from the multibeam sonar data for an area of rock outcrop on the seabed E of Hook Head showing complex structural geology with folding and faulting evident on the dataset. Future survey work and research may be useful in interpreting and linking these datasets to the diverse onland geology seen on Hook Head.

With the area of seabed off Wexford surveyed, operations moved down the coast to begin surveying an area that linked data acquired by the Celtic Voyager in 2008 off Cork and data from 2007 off Waterford.

Overview of survey work completed by the Celtic Voyager off the Cork and Waterford coast in July with existing INFOMAR survey work shown in the hatched area.


Plan view of multibeam sonar dataset showing the wreck of the Etal Manor on the seabed south of Hook Head. The c. 80 m Etal Manor was a British cargo steamer that was torpedoed in 1917 by German U-Boat UC-48 resulting in the deaths of 6 onboard.

Further information on the wrecks surveyed by INFOMAR is available here.

All INFOMAR data is available for free download here.

CV09_23 Ground Truthing in Bantry and Dunmanus Bays

From 22nd to 28th April, INFOMAR staff were amongst a crew of scientists that were busy collecting a large number of ground truthing samples from the seabed in Bantry and Dunmanus Bays in Cork on the Celtic Voyager as part of research by Dublin City University (DCU) on pockmark features in the bays. Also included were scientists from University of Limerick (UL) and Aquafact Environmental Survey Specialists. Before the transit to west Cork, mobilisation, testing and training was done in Cork Harbour.

Day Grab recovery from Cork Harbour of coarse grained sediment and large shells.



The 290 metre long Grand Princess cruise liner in Cobh.

Gravity cores, box cores and day grabs were recovered from the seabed with video footage from selected sites. In all over 5 days of 24 hour operations, 132 sampling stations and 12 gravity core stations were covered. The physical, chemical and biological content of these samples will be analysed to gain an insight into the nature of the seabed in the bays and also close to the pockmarks features. The leg ended in demobilisation in Castletown Bere and was deemed very successful for all parties.

Plan view of day grab recovery. Note the muddy nature of the seabed and the brittle starfish recovered in the grab.

Elevation view of box core recovery. Note the change in colour of the sediment from green/brown to grey around 5 cm from the surface. Sediments recovered were generally composed of mud and clay.

Recovery of the gravity corer with 2 metre barrel from the A-frame of the Celtic Voyager. Average recovery from the corer was around 1.20 metres of mud and clay.

View of the west Cork coastline on the Sheep's Head peninsula from inner Dunmanus Bay.

All INFOMAR data is available for free download here.