16/08/2026
This diagram shows a detailed, cutaway infographic of the RRS James Cook, a specialized geological survey vessel, highlighting its upgraded features following a 2025 refit.
Here is a breakdown of the key information and systems displayed in the diagram:
General Specifications & 2025 Upgrades
• Launch & Refit: Originally launched in 2007, featuring a deep blue hull.
• AUV Hangar & Launch Bay: A brand new, advanced facility built into the lower bow to store and deploy Autonomous Underwater Vehicles.
• Enhanced Sonar: Upgraded hull-mounted multi-beam echo sounders and sub-bottom profilers for high-resolution seafloor mapping.
• Modernized Drilling Rig: An upgraded geotechnical core drilling rig operating through a "moon pool" (an opening in the floor of the vessel).
• Hybrid Propulsion: A newly integrated system designed for cleaner, more efficient transit and station-keeping.
Scientific & Lab Facilities
• Geological Lab 1: Positioned forward for initial sample processing.
• Laboratory 2: Located mid-ship, dedicated specifically to geochemistry.
• Core Sample Storage: Equipped with specialized refrigeration units to preserve physical samples retrieved from the ocean floor.
• Workshops: Dedicated onboard support spaces to repair and maintain sensitive scientific gear.
Survey & Sampling Equipment
• Seismic Streamer Winches: Equipment used to deploy long acoustic cables for sub-surface mapping.
• Acoustic Piston Corer / Gravity Corer: Heavy devices dropped to the seafloor to collect long, vertical core samples of marine sediment.
• ROV Deployment System: A dedicated setup to launch and recover Remotely Operated Vehicles.
• Geophysical Equipment & Sensors: Array of underwater sensors towed or deployed to measure ocean properties.
Navigation & Propulsion Architecture
• Bow & Azimuth Thrusters: Front thrusters paired with 360-degree rotating stern thrusters allow the ship to maintain a completely fixed position over a drill site (Dynamic Positioning).
• Main Engine Room: Located deep in the hull to power both propulsion and the ship's massive electrical grid.
• Doppler Speed Log: Sensors on the bottom of the hull to precisely measure the vessel's speed relative to the water and seabed.
• Bridge & Accommodation: Upper decks house the navigation command center and modular living quarters for the crew and scientists.