Teledyne Benthos, Inc.
Benthos was founded in 1962 by Samuel O. Raymond in North Falmouth, Massachusetts, a few miles from the research facilities at the world renowned Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. During its first three decades, the company focused on supplying underwater equipment to military and government markets, especially the scientific community. As a strategic business unit of Teledyne Marine Systems, the products and technologies at Benthos support high performance, low logistics requirements and the growing need for networked undersea systems in all sectors of the global market.
Company details
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- Business Type:
- Manufacturer
- Industry Type:
- Water and Wastewater - Water Monitoring and Testing
- Market Focus:
- Globally (various continents)
About us
Early in the 1990’s, in response to changing market dynamics, the company shifted its priorities to meet the growing needs of commercial markets This included the geophysical industry, where Benthos products and systems are used in the search for offshore oil and gas deposits, as well as scientific research and envionmental applications. In 1999, Benthos acquired the products of Datasonics, Inc. a maker of geophysical survey equipment, underwater modems, and locator devices. In 2006, Benthos was acquired by Teledyne Technologies Incorporated and is now known as Teledyne Benthos.
A Rich History
Teledyne Benthos has made many contributions to ocean science and technology since 1962. Products and capabilities at Benthos have evolved along with the technology available, scientific questions posed and mission requirements presented. Benthos has been working at the state-of-the-art as that has evolved for 50 years.
This trend is perhaps most clearly seen in our use of glass as a material for undersea products. Low cost and with exceptional resistance to corrosion and pressure, this is not the same product four decades later. Investments in machinery, knowledge and staff have kept our glass products at the cutting edge. In 2012 Benthos was awarded a large contract to provide glass flotation for the National Science Foundation Ocean Observatories Initiative. This is but one example of our approach to ocean leadership through advanced technologies.
Other highlights from our 50 years of innovation include:
It is an unfortunate reality that aviation accidents often happen over water, but Benthos equipment has been instrumental in the location and recovery of widespread sunken wreckage following several notable air disasters, including the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986, the crashes of Swiss Air flight 111 in 1998, Air India flight 182 in 1985, TWA flight 800 in 1998, and John F. Kennedy, Jr.‘s plane in 1999.
- In 1983, Benthos introduced the first low cost ROV system, the MiniROVER, which went on to be one of the best selling ROV systems of all time.
- In 1985, Benthos imaging and acoustic equipment was used by a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution team to discover the sunken remains of the ill-fated luxury liner Titanic.
- In 1989, a team led by Dr. Robert Ballard located the German World War II battleship Bismark in deep water off the coast of France. Benthos deep sea cameras provided the world with the first pictures of the sunken ship.
- In 2000, the first e-mail sent from a submarine traveling at speed and depth was sent to the surface using Benthos modems.
While air safety improves constantly, we continue to develop and advance our technologies. Our line of pingers for FAA “black boxes” inspired salvors to tag containers from the shipwrecked cargo carrier Rena off of New Zealand in late 2012. Benthos locators ensured that hazardous cargo would not be permanently lost in environmentally sensitive waters.
For the past 50 years a wide variety of Benthos products has served the diverse global marine market. Our products are based on state-of-the-art technology and the commitment of our team from technicians to administrators. With a history of design, test, and many successful deployments, Teledyne Benthos is proud of our undersea systems that deliver.
Today
Together with our sister companies Teledyne Webb Research and Teledyne Gavia, we provide system solutions as part of the Teledyne Marine Systems group. Our combined group of companies manufacture acoustic communication products, positioning solutions, remotely operated vehicles, autonomous underwater vehicles, and profiling floats that work independently or together as networked undersea systems. We specialize in low-logisitics, high performance offerings as well as extended endurance in the ocean environment. In 2012, Teledyne Benthos celebrated 50 years of excellence and innovation in the marine industry. In 2013, our continued growth will result in a significantly expanded facility in North Falmouth where Teledyne Benthos and Teledyne Webb Research will join forces to continue to design, manufacture, and sell our unique and innovative products to the growing marine industry.