OHIO Class External Hull Antifouling

The US Navy, or anyone operating equipment in maritime environments, is plagued with biofouling on hull surfaces and in and around seawater support systems. The antifouling coatings that may be effective when submarines are out at sea are not as effective when the boat is static for long periods. The skilled manpower needed, the radiological considerations, and the methods and tools used currently to address fouling in static situations collectively are not cost effective. Boston Engineering proposes to leverage our extensive experience with maritime systems and biological prevention knowledge to provide a modular solution to address the specific needs of the OHIO Class submarine. The solution is versatile and can be applied to many antifouling opportunities within the defense and commercial maritime environments. Our solution minimizes manpower needed by combining the benefits semi-autonomous operation, low energy mechanical work on surfaces and tuned low-contact energy that specifically targets biological forms responsible for fouling. The use of divers is limited. Phase I focusses on biofouling kill rate effectiveness and the feasibility of modular and alternative deployment systems that interface with the hull surface. We leverage existing expertise in system-level design, navigation, controls, and sensing in maritime environments.