A Tool for Recovery, Maintenance and Repair of U.S. Navy Cable Systems

The U.S. Navy has special requirements for recovery, maintenance and repair of seafloor cable systems. The Navy frequently makes repairs to cable systems damaged by seafloor hazards by dragging a grapnel hook near the vicinity of the break. The process of recovering the cable to make the repairs is time-consuming and without knowing the exact location of the seafloor cable, can lead to further damage to the cable by dragging it along the seafloor and fouling it with other submarine cables or seafloor hazards. Makai proposes to develop an advanced computer tool for the planning, simulation, and real-time control during recovery and re-laying of the Navy’s cable systems. Running on standard PC’s and in a GIS environment, the proposed tool will accurately model cable retrieval operations and create office generated sail plans that can be used during at-sea recovery operations. All information relative to the recovery operations will be maintained in a GIS database easily accessible during at-sea operations. The proposed software tool will allow the Navy to retrieve cables with lower values of seabed tension, allowing for faster recoveries and minimizing cable dragging on the seafloor, which ultimately will result more efficient and in safer recoveries.