Submersible platform launch and recovery system for an autonomous underwater vehicles

This paper presents a launch and recovery system, which looks like a submersible platform, for an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). Without the help of the special support ship, this system can be applied to the launch and recovery of an AW that operates in sea state 4. The system is composed of a crane, a control panel, a cable winch, a tether management system (TMS) and a launch and recovery unit (LRU), and the LRU is the key component of the system, The difficulty underlying the launch and recovery of an AW is on the recovering, and the difficulty underlying the recovery is on the butt of an AUV and the LRU. To ensure a successful butt, the LRU must keep a stable attitude. In order to overcome the effects of rolling, pitching and heaving of the support ship and the effects of the wind wave of the sea the system employs the TMS and the butt is carried out under the depth of 30 similar to 50 meters (more than 1/2 wave length). The successful application of this launch and recovery system enables the AUV to operate in more rough sea state for a long time, therefore provides a unique means to the launch and recovery of an AUV