The situation in Haiti required a high level of effort due to the extreme destruction and limited logistical infrastructure-a small airport and heavily damaged roads necessitated that relief supplies and equipment arrive in Haiti via maritime transport. This unprecedented response by the US Navy was absolutely essential to open Haiti's ports for this purpose. The Importance of Updated Charts
As with any natural disaster, the first action is to pull out the current chart and determine which port facilities can support maritime relief efforts. In this case, the existing chart data was nearly 30 years old and did not reflect current shoreline, piers, and other existing features. The source data for the soundings on the existing chart were collected by the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO), which raised confidence in the charted depths found in the approaches and anchorage areas. However, earthquakes have the potential to modify the seabed through uplifting and subsidence, which could significantly change navigable depths and cause many commercial shipping containers to fall into the water as floating hazards. Also, in hurricane-prone areas like Haiti, storm-driven hazards to navigation such as underwater obstructions and wrecks are common.  In a disaster relief scenario, perhaps the most important features on the chart after soundings are the shoreline and port facilities. It is very difficult to plan for relief efforts when the piers and beaches on the chart no longer exist or have been modified. In Haiti, significant land reclamation and commercial pier work had been completed without updates to the chart. It was not until satellite imagery of Haiti became available that the differences were noted and injected into the planning process. As it turned out, the main terminal in Port-au-Prince was nearly inoperable due to collapse of wharves and damage to pier pilings (Figure 1).
This necessitated use of smaller terminals and development of beachhead areas for use by landing craft; many of which were not accurately reflected on the chart.
Rapid Response
A number of survey assets were available in the region at the time of the earthquake. The first responder was the US Army 544th Engineer Dive Team, outfitted with a RHIB-mounted single-beam echo sounder and a side-scan sonar, onboard USNS Grasp (T-ARS 51), a US Navy salvage ship. They were part of an exercise in Belize and were able to quickly move to Port-au-Prince to begin port assessments. The dive team provided the first soundings around the main terminal, but was limited in capacity and capability for more extensive surveys. NAVOCEANO quickly relocated its Compact Hydrographic Airborne Rapid Total Survey (CHARTS) aircraft from Nicaragua to the Dominican Republic and began a Lidar survey of Port-au-Prince. Unfortunately, water clarity did not support Lidar hydrographic surveys in Port-au-Prince, but the camera system onboard CHARTS provided important information about nearby terminals and beaches. CHARTS was re-tasked to survey other potential ports of entry around Haiti and completed all assigned hydrographic surveys within a few days. At the end of each day, collected data was packaged and sent overnight to the Naval Oceanographic Office for analysis and post-processing. Fused imagery and hydrographic products were then made available for use in planning and execution of the disaster relief efforts. The US Navy's Fleet Survey Team (FST) sent a four person fly-away team with portable hydrographic gear to USS Underwood (FFG 36), a US Navy frigate. FST used the ship's RHIB outfitted with GPS, single-beam echo sounder, and side-scan sonar to conduct clearance surveys of the primary anchorage area for the hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20). Timing was critical, FST surveyed well into the night, and they discovered and reported an uncharted obstruction in the anchorage. This team continued to survey the approaches and pier depths of nearby terminals opening them for smaller relief vessels. Flexibility of a Multi-mission Ship
 While conducting a bathymetric survey in the eastern Pacific Ocean, USNS Henson (T-AGS 63) (Figure 2) was ordered to transit the Panama Canal, rendezvous with her sister ship USNS Sumner (T-AGS 61) for transfer of personnel and equipment, and proceed to Port-au-Prince for survey operations. NAVOCEANO augmented Henson with additional hydrographic surveyors and technicians. Henson installed two tide gauges in Port-au- Prince (Figure 3) and surveyed the approaches while her hydrographic survey launch (HSL) surveyed the anchorages and channels. Henson served as the afloat staging base for a four person FST expeditionary survey detachment outfitted with Expeditionary Survey Vessels (ESV); personal watercraft modified to conduct nearshore and surf-zone hydrographic surveys. Utilising commercial ‘fish finder' sonar technology and survey grade GPS receivers, this team provided soundings and side-scan information around the piers in Port-au-Prince (Figure 4) . They also identified a narrow channel through a surrounding reef that enabled the use of a nearby beach as a landing spot for movement of heavy equipment via causeways. Reachback and Co-ordination
 As the Task Force hydrographer, I was charged with co-ordinating hydrographic activities for the on-scene commander due to the large number of survey assets and complexity of the situation. Embarked onboard Henson, I was the focal point for co-ordination and deconfliction between survey and relief efforts. Daily meetings ashore and teleconferences afloat; changing priorities and equipment malfunctions; and management of survey areas and data fusion were just a few of the tasks required to ensure the on-scene commander was provided the right information, at the right time, to make informed decisions. The robust communication and computer suites onboard the ship allowed for reachback support provided by NAVOCEANO's hydrographers and imagery analysts. This unique capability to quickly fuse hydrographic data and extensive imagery analysis provided planners with improved situational awareness and supported critical decisions regarding movement of relief supplies, material and personnel. NAVOCEANO also provided extensive wave, tide and current modelling information to on-scene operations. Summary
 In just a week, nearly every instrument in the US Navy hydrographic surveying toolkit was brought to bear on the Haiti relief effort. Although a very small part of the larger multi-national relief effort, the US Navy's hydrographic surveys were the key enabler to the expeditious opening of ports to maritime relief vessels. As RDML Sam Perez, Commander, Task Force 42, commented, "the surveys were absolutely invaluable and I'm not sure people know how critical your efforts were to getting the ports open and running. " |
