Editing Remotely operated underwater vehicle (section)

==History==
[[File:Cutletrov.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Royal Navy]] ROV (''Cutlet'') first used in the 1950s to retrieve practice torpedoes and mines]]

In the 1970s and '80s the [[Royal Navy]] used "Cutlet", a remotely operated submersible, to recover practice torpedoes and mines. RCA (Noise) maintained the "Cutlet 02" System based at BUTEC ranges, whilst the "03" system was based at the [[HMNB Clyde|submarine base on the Clyde]] and was operated and maintained by RN personnel.

The [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] funded most of the early ROV technology development in the 1960s into what was then named a "Cable-Controlled Underwater Recovery Vehicle" (CURV). This created the capability to perform deep-sea rescue operation and recover objects from the ocean floor, such as a nuclear bomb lost in the [[Mediterranean Sea]] after the [[1966 Palomares B-52 crash]]. Building on this technology base; the offshore oil and gas industry created the work-class ROVs to assist in the development of offshore oil fields. More than a decade after they were first introduced, ROVs became essential in the 1980s when much of the new offshore development exceeded the reach of human divers. During the mid-1980s the marine ROV industry suffered from serious stagnation in technological development caused in part by a drop in the price of oil and a global economic recession. Since then, technological development in the ROV industry has accelerated and today ROVs perform numerous tasks in many fields. Their tasks range from simple inspection of [[subsea]] structures, [[pipe (material)|pipeline]]s, and platforms, to connecting pipelines and placing underwater manifolds. They are used extensively both in the initial construction of a sub-sea development and the subsequent repair and maintenance.<ref>{{cite web|title=What Are Rov's|url=http://www.kmexgroup.com/whatr-are-rovs.html|website=Kmex Group|access-date=4 June 2016}}</ref>  The oil and gas industry has expanded beyond the use of work class ROVs to mini ROVs, which can be more useful in shallower environments. They are smaller in size, oftentimes allowing for lower costs and faster deployment times.<ref>{{Cite web |last=((Chevron Policy, Government and Public Affairs)) |title=Mini ROV makes waves in subsea inspections |url=https://www.chevron.com/newsroom/2023/q1/mini-rov-makes-waves-in-subsea-inspections |access-date=2024-01-12 |website=chevron.com |language=en-us}}</ref>

Submersible ROVs have been used to identify many historic shipwrecks, including the [[RMS Titanic|RMS ''Titanic'']], the ''[[German battleship Bismarck|Bismarck]]'', {{USS|Yorktown|CV-5|6}}, the [[SM U-111|SM ''U-111'']], and [[SS Central America|SS ''Central America'']]. In some cases, such as the [[RMS Titanic|''Titanic'']] and the ''[[SS Central America]]'', ROVs have been used to recover material from the sea floor and bring it to the surface,<ref>{{cite web|title=Ships & Technology used during the Titanic Expeditions|url=https://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=83577&tid=3622&cid=130989|website=Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution|access-date=4 June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=@NatGeoUK |date=2022-09-30 |title=Exclusive: Wreck of fabled WWI German U-boat found off Virginia |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/history-and-civilisation/2022/09/exclusive-wreck-of-fabled-wwi-german-u-boat-found-off-virginia |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=National Geographic |language=en-gb}}</ref> the most recent being in July 2024 during a [[Wreck of the Titanic#Discovery#Subsequent expeditions#2000-present|''Titanic'' expedition]] in recovering artefacts for the first time through a [[magnetometer]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=TITANIC Expedition 2024 |url=https://expedition.discovertitanic.com/ |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=www.discovertitanic.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Titanic mission to map wreck in greatest-ever detail |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1we095wzv1o |access-date=2024-08-12 |website=www.bbc.com |date=12 July 2024 |language=en-UK}}</ref>

While the oil and gas industry uses the majority of ROVs, other applications include science, military, and salvage. The military uses ROV for tasks such as [[naval mine|mine]] clearing and inspection. Science usage is discussed below.