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_03 Survey off Wexford coast

The Celtic Voyager returned to Howth harbour on the 18th August 2009 to demobilise following another successful geophysical survey of the seabed, this time off the Wexford coastline as part of the ongoing INFOMAR project. Having mobilised in Cork on the 28th July, the vessel transited to Rosslare to begin surveying along the eastern coastline of Wexford. The initial 2 weeks of the leg were spent mapping the seabed around the busy ferry and goods port of Rosslare Harbour. This data will be of great assistance to safe navigation in the area with a large portion of the approaches and the harbour itself successfully mapped. As well as this, some very interesting scientific data of the active, large-scale sand waves on the seabed off the southeast coast was also collected (see pinger data below).

Highlight image of data collected using a multibeam echosounder of the seabed around Tuscar Rock off the coast of Wexford. The image shows the shallow rock upon which Tuscar Lighthouse is built (below).


Following a change of crew and scientific staff on the 11th August, the final week of operations were concentrated along the south Wexford coast, as far west as the Saltee Islands. Mapping this area was challenging due to the combination of strong tidal currents and dangerous outcrops of rock in shallow waters.

Data from the pinger, a seismic instrument that uses sound waves to penetrate through the seabed to image the sediments beneath the seafloor in a profile view. This image captures the symmetric sand wave forms which measure over 8 metres from crest to trough and roughly 200 metres wavelength. These sand waves lie on the seabed east of the Lucifer Bank, northeast of Rosslare Harbour.


Photograph of the new INFOMAR radar tide gauge that was installed by OTT hydrometry at Rosslare Harbour to measure variations in the tide height to correct soundings taken on the vessel throughout the duration of the survey.


Photograph of a fishing vessel just offshore of Carnsore Point, on the southeast tip of Ireland taken from the Celtic Voyager.

This survey also consisted of a large portion of the South East Priority Area (off the southeast of Ireland) that will also be mapped by INFOMAR.

All INFOMAR data is available for free download here.