Methods and apparatus for retrieving an unmanned marine vehicle from water are disclosed. The unmanned marine vehicle includes a float and a glider connected by a tether. The apparatus includes a buoyant frame having spaced frame arms defining a receiving bay sized to receive the float, and the buoyant frame includes a front end defining an opening of the receiving bay. A glider recovery assembly is coupled to the buoyant frame and includes a first tether guide coupled to the buoyant frame, and a second tether guide coupled to the buoyant frame, wherein the first tether guide and the second tether guide are cooperatively shaped to define a tether capture gap having a tether inlet adjacent the front end of the buoyant frame and a tether stop positioned rearward of the tether inlet.

A pressure tolerant energy system may comprise a pressure tolerant cavity and an energy system enclosed in the pressure tolerant cavity configured to provide electrical power to the vehicle. The energy system may include one or more battery cells and a pressure tolerant, programmable management circuit. The pressure tolerant cavity may be filled with an electrically-inert liquid, such as mineral oil. In some embodiments, the electrically-inert liquid may be kept at a positive pressure relative to a pressure external to the pressure tolerant cavity. The energy system may further comprise a pressure venting system configured to maintain the pressure inside the pressure tolerant cavity within a range of pressures. The pressure tolerant cavity may be sealed to prevent water ingress.

Apparatuses, systems, and methods for the deployment of a plurality of autonomous underwater seismic vehicles (AUVs) on or near the seabed based on acoustic communications with an underwater vehicle, such as a remotely operated vehicle. In an embodiment, the underwater vehicle is lowered from a surface vessel along with a subsea station with a plurality of AUVs. The AUVs are configured to acoustically communicate with the underwater vehicle or a second surface vessel for deployment and retrieval operations. The underwater vehicle and/or second surface vessel is configured to instruct the AUVs to leave the subsea station or underwater vehicle and to travel to their intended seabed destination. The underwater vehicle and/or second surface vessel is also configured to selectively instruct the AUVs to leave the seabed and return to a seabed location and/or a subsea station for retrieval.

The present disclosure concerns a ship provided with an installation for launching and recovering floating or submersible vehicles, that includes a lifting device having a set of cables that holds a basket configured to support the vehicle during launching and recovering operations, the cables being movable vertically between two positions, a high and a low position respectively. The basket includes an upper face that bears against a surface, referred to as a “contact surface”, of the lifting device, only when the cables are in the high position.

A system for deploying and recovering an autonomous underwater device (AUD) using a surface carrier ship, includes, in addition to the carrier ship, a subaquatic vehicle (SV) guided by a connection wire connected to the carrier ship, the SV able to be positioned in a storage configuration wherein the SV is fixedly but removably joined to the carrier ship in a storage zone, or in a configuration for use, in which the SV, separated from the carrier ship, is in the water and at a distance from the carrier ship while remaining connected by the connection wire, the SV including propulsion, guiding and stabilizing systems and a station for receiving the AUD allowing it to be removably attached to the SV, the receiving station and the AUD including a complementary automated docking unit allowing the AUD to automatically dock with the receiving station during recovery and attach itself thereto.

Methods and apparatus for deploying an unmanned marine vehicle into water are disclosed. The unmanned marine vehicle includes a float and a glider connected by a tether. The float is selectively retained in a buoyant frame by a float clamp assembly. A glider retainer assembly is coupled to the buoyant frame and selectively retains the glider. The glider retainer assembly and the float clamp assembly execute a deployment sequence for deploying the unmanned marine vehicle from the apparatus. In some embodiments, the apparatus is self-propelled to permit remote operation and deployment of the unmanned marine vehicle.

Methods and apparatus for retrieving an unmanned marine vehicle from water are disclosed. The unmanned marine vehicle includes a float and a glider connected by a tether. The apparatus includes a buoyant frame having spaced frame arms defining a receiving bay sized to receive the float, and the buoyant frame includes a front end defining an opening of the receiving bay. A glider recovery assembly is coupled to the buoyant frame and includes a first tether guide coupled to the buoyant frame, and a second tether guide coupled to the buoyant frame, wherein the first tether guide and the second tether guide are cooperatively shaped to define a tether capture gap having a tether inlet adjacent the front end of the buoyant frame and a tether stop positioned rearward of the tether inlet.

Methods and apparatus are provided for deploying an unmanned marine vehicle into water, in which the unmanned marine vehicle includes a float and a glider connected by a tether. The apparatus includes a buoyant frame having a first frame arm, and a second frame arm spaced from the first frame arm to define a receiving bay between the first frame arm and the second frame arm, wherein the receiving bay is sized to receive the float. A glider retainer assembly is coupled to the buoyant frame and configured to releasably retain the glider. The apparatus further includes a payload deployment assembly having an attachment plate coupled to and positioned below the buoyant frame, and a payload compartment releasably coupled to the attachment plate by a payload release, wherein the payload compartment defines a receptacle sized to receive a payload coupled to the glider, and the payload compartment has a density greater than water.

System for launch and recovery of a surface vehicle, comprising a floating cradle structure configured to receive the surface vehicle, the cradle structure being bottomless such that contact between a submersed portion of the surface vehicle and the cradle structure is avoided upon receiving the surface vehicle.

A submersible node and a method and system for using the node to acquire data, including seismic data is disclosed. The node incorporates a buoyancy system to provide propulsion for the node between respective landed locations by varying the buoyancy between positive and negative. A first acoustic positioning system is used to facilitate positioning of a node when landing and a second acoustic positioning system is used to facilitate a node transiting between respective target landed locations.