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Farewell GLORIA
01 Sep 2002
One of the UK's major scientific successes of recent times, the GLORIA (Geological Long Range Inclined Asdic) sidescan sonar, has been retired from active service after having surveyed 5% of the world's oceans.
Originally developed in the early 1970's by the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences (now part of Southampton Oceanography Centre), the system formerly provided the fastest known method of mapping shapes and textures of seafloors. It was capable of accurately mapping large features and variations down to the size of a hockey pitch.
Among the system's most celebrated accomplishments was mapping of the entire US Exclusive Economic Zone of around 7,000,000km 2over a period of seven years. The £15m venture. completed on behalf of the US Geological Survey, subsequently earned the IOS a Queen's Award for Technological Achievement in 1986.
Now a victim of inexorable technical advances such as the SOC's latest TOBI (towed ocean bottom instrument) system, GLORIA's retirement home is to be the Science Museum at Wroughton, near Swindon. One of three remaining models can be viewed by appointment along with other scientific artefacts including early computers and MRI scanners.
