An ROV docked to a tether management system (TMS) is lifted outboard into water beside a vessel while deploying an umbilical that effects communication with the ROV via a tether of the TMS. After undocking the ROV to swim away from the TMS while deploying the tether, the TMS is suspended over the water while the ROV performs a subsea mission. A mobile or transportable ROV support unit can be positioned on a deck of a vessel of opportunity to facilitate deployment of the ROV, the TMS and the umbilical and to control the ROV during the mission.

Disclosed is a sonobuoy that houses at least one unmanned vehicle that may be launched from the sonobuoy. The sonobuoy may include a canister, a parachute, an unmanned vehicle, and a launch mechanism. The parachute may be disposed within an interior cavity of the canister proximate to a first end of the canister. The unmanned vehicle may be disposed within the interior cavity of the canister proximate to a second end of the canister. The launch mechanism may be disposed within the interior cavity of the canister and operatively coupled to the unmanned vehicle. The launch mechanism may be configured to launch the unmanned vehicle from the canister. The sonobuoy may further include a launch deployment mechanism that may be configured to orient the canister with respect to a surface after the sonobuoy impacts the surface in order to facilitate the launch of the unmanned vehicle.

A docking/charging module for an undersea autonomous vehicle comprises a housing allowing the undersea autonomous vehicle to dock, thereby establishing both a data connection and a power connection between the module and the vehicle, the module being equipped with the battery which is charged from an undersea cable having a power conductor which may charge the undersea autonomous vehicle via the power connection when the undersea autonomous vehicle is docked with or in proximity to the docking/charging module.

A docking device includes a docking station capable of being connected to a carrying vessel by means of a cable, the docking station comprising a guide device which comprises a set of arms which are connected to the body and each comprise a distal end and a proximal end, the set of arms being capable of being in a deployed configuration wherein it defines a space flaring towards the rear so as to enable the underwater vehicle to be guided to the stop, the distal end of each arm being located behind the proximal end of the arm in the deployed configuration, the set of arms being capable of being in a collapsed configuration wherein a distal end of each arm of the set of arms is closer to the longitudinal axis than in the deployed configuration and wherein the distal end is located in front of the position occupied by the distal end in the deployed configuration, such that a length, along the axis x, of a space defined by the set of arms behind the stop is smaller in the collapsed configuration than in the deployed configuration

An unmanned vehicle including a vehicle body, propulsion system, maneuvering system, vehicle control system, rack, sensor, and a power supply. The vehicle control may be used to control the unmanned vehicle in combination with the propulsion and the maneuvering system. The rack may include a retractable mount that may move between a down position and an up position. The sensor system may include a plurality of transient object detection sensors. The plurality of transient object detection sensors may include a sensor adapted to detect an item of interest and may provide an item of interest signal to the vehicle control system. The vehicle control system may identify an item of interest classification and may provide a classification signal. The classification signal may be determined by the item of interest classification and may be utilized to avoid detection of the unmanned vehicle by the item of interest.

An underwater communications network may include spaced apart nodes on a bottom of a body of water. The underwater communications network may also include fiber optic cabling connecting the spaced apart nodes. Each node may include a frame, a node short-range navigation device carried by the frame, and an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) carried by the frame after delivering a fiber optic cable along a navigation path from an adjacent node. The UUV may be configured to cooperate with the node short-range navigation device during an end portion of the navigation path adjacent the frame.

A wave energy converter that has waveguides affixed radially around a compression chamber to form wave channels to amplify movement of the surface of the ocean in the compression chamber is positioned a distance above a first heave plate. A dock frame is affixed to the bottom of the first heave plate, with a second heave plate comprising ramps extending radially outward and downward from the dock frame, and lobes extending radially outward from the ramps, so that the lobes define V-shaped dock frame channels between the lobes and the ramps define dock frame slots between the ramps. Charging interfaces are provided at the dock frame slots configured to receive an electrically conductive portion of an autonomous underwater vehicle. The V-shaped dock frame channels guide the autonomous underwater vehicle towards and into the dock frame slots, so that the electrically conductive portion is received by a charging interface for charging and communicating with the autonomous underwater vehicle.

A recovery device for an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) includes a first recovery component arranged on an unmanned ship and a second recovery component arranged on the UUV. Two magnets are provided on an end of the first recovery component and an end of the second recovery component which are opposite to each other, respectively. A first cable of the unmanned ship is provided on an end of the first recovery component away from the magnet, and a second cable is provided on an end of the second recovery component away from the magnet. A thruster is provided on a side of the first recovery component. The UUV is recovered using the unmanned ship through the recovery components connected to the cables, which allows the locating and navigation errors to a large extent.

Systems, methods, and apparatuses are described herein for providing electrical power to a marine vehicle. In some aspects, a marine vehicle includes a power system arranged to receive and store electrical power delivered from a solar panel assembly. The power system may include one or more batteries. The vehicle also includes a processor arranged to determine an extension time and an retraction time for a solar panel assembly and a controller that, in response to instructions from the processor, is arranged to extend the solar panel assembly and retract the solar panel assembly. The solar panel assembly is arranged to be configured in at least one of an extended position and a retracted position. The solar panel assembly includes one or more solar panels where the solar panel assembly is in electrical communication with the power system.

A submersion system for a rotorcraft is described and includes a control module for controlling a depth to which the rotorcraft is submerged in a body of water; a compressed air chamber associated with the control module; and at least one flotation pod including a sealable opening on a top surface thereof and an opening on a bottom surface thereof. The control module selectively causes water to be taken into the at least one flotation pod to cause the submersion system to submerge in the body of water and selectively causes water to be evacuated from the at least one flotation pod to cause the submersion system to float in the body of water.