Multi-Platform Active Heave Compensation System

The Navy’s primary means of rescuing personnel from a disabled submarine is the Submarine Rescue Diving and Recompression System (SRDRS). The vehicle that descends to the disabled submarine to pick up the crew is a very large Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) with its own specialized launch and recovery gear. Since the rescue system is manned, a timely, robust, and safe launch and recovery in potentially rough seas is essential. Proposed here is a retrofit capability for the launch and recovery system that will improve heave compensation capability and allow the system to work on any vessel of opportunity without tuning adjustments. New sensors will be added to the system to utilize all available boat motion information, and a Ship Observer algorithm will be developed. The Ship Observer algorithm is a model-based approach, but has the capability to adapt itself and converge to an accurate model of the ship motion and provide higher quality inputs to the winch control system. Phase I will assess the potential for improved performance from these two techniques, evaluate the current launch and recovery system equipment, and produce a preliminary design for a retrofit active heave compensation system.