University of Southern Mississippi 2006 adopted Eagle Ray Deep Sea Mapping AUV The EAGLE RAY autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) follows a pre-programmed mission to map the seafloor independent of its support vessel. This AUV can reach depths of 3000 meters and has mapped many regions off the US east coast and northern Gulf of Mexico, surveying features of geological, biological, and archaeological interest.9 Multibeam Echosounder Multibeam Echosounder EAGLE RAY is equipped with a multibeam echosounder, which maps a stripe of the seafloor below it, obtaining full coverage by surveying in a back-and-forth pattern. This sonar also returns water column data along with the backscatter intensity of the bottom reflection, which is useful in assessing bottom type and for both geological surveys and habitat mapping. A subbottom profiler is used to look below the seafloor.