World Photo by Steve McCasland U.S. Navy personnel take a spin around the lower Coquille River in a 29-foot rigid-hull inflatable boat in Bandon earlier this month. The 10-person crew is surveying underwater topography and recording tidal patterns.

BANDON — The U.S. Navy’s Fleet Survey Team is taking advantage of the terrain around the mouth of the Coquille River to train its personnel. At the same time the team is collecting data to upgrade nautical charts.

The team is based out of Mississippi, but trains all over the world.

“Bandon offers a great situation for us, because it provides a river environment, along with a surf zone and open ocean,” said Lt. Doug Pearman, the team’s special projects officer.

“It’s a win-win situation: A place to collect data in a dynamic environment, and a place where local charts can actually use the data.”

The FST team uses single-beam sonar and side-scan sonar, the same type of equipment the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration uses, to collect underwater topographical data. The information will be forwarded to NOAA for updating nautical charts.

The team is surveying an ocean floor area two to three kilometers both north and south of the river entrance and 2.5 miles offshore. The Navy plans to go upriver to Bullards Bridge.

“As far as we know, the (nearshore ocean) and Coquille River charts haven’t been officially updated with new soundings since 1939,” he said.

As part of the work, the team installed two tide gauges along Bandon’s waterfront.

Pearman said the team, which typically works from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weather permitting, has collected about 95 percent of the data for its survey of the river, but earlier this week still had about 90 percent of its ocean survey work left to do.

The project should be completed by mid-November.