Sailors aboard the mine countermeasures ship prepare to lower the AN/SLQ-48 ?Mine Neutralization Vehicle? into the water. The remotely operated vehicle uses sonar and video cameras to find and identify underwater objects. If the operators find a mine, the vehicle can place small explosive charges near the mine to neutralize it. USS Champion is participating in ?Gulf of Mexico Exercise 02-2? near Corpus Christi, TX. During the exercise, USS Champion was tasked with searching for and clearing exercise ?mines? from critical waterways in the area. U.S. Navy photo by Lieutenant Marc Boyd.