What’s That You Saw?
I made an observation from home today that I thought I’d share. I live in Deale, and looking toward Holland Point in Herring Bay, I saw a towboat near what appeared to be a long rectangular object that I thought was partially sunken or sinking. It looked like one of those freighter shipping containers. Through binoculars, I saw a few people on board. The object had antennas up and it looked like a bilge pump was working, for a small stream of water was coming out the side.
Then it appeared to move under its own power — not fast, but the towboat wasn’t hooked up to it.
There were several buoys placed in a grid pattern. I at first thought maybe they were seeding oysters.
On the side of the container was written AEPLOG, Inc. Turns out to be a company based in Germantown.
Checking online, http://bit.ly/vhH398; or http://bit.ly/tCsq7q, I came across the video at the link below and a link to the AEPLOG website. Appears to be a prototype of what they call a sea truck that can be controlled remotely.
–Doug Roberts, Deale
Editor’s note: The voyage of Aeplog was reported by several readers with eyes on Herring Bay last week.
The innovative sea truck is based at Herrington Harbour North in Tracys Landing, where it is routinely lifted in and out of the water for sea trials like the one it apparently passed on December 9.