Adaptable Boat Launch and Recovery System

An innovative system called Adaptable Boat Deployment and Retrieval System (ABDRS) is proposed to be developed to safely handle a variety of current and future crafts and other assets from the boat bay of DDG 1000 class in seas up to sea state 5 conditions. It employs a wheeled sled that can be held at the ramp foot to receive returning 7m Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boats (RHIBs), 11m RHIBs, Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle (C-USV), Combatant Craft Assault (CCA), and other Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs). The sled can also be tethered outside of the stern wake and propeller wash to launch and recover Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs). Once the vehicle is secured on the sled, the sled will be pulled onto the ramp and into the bay for service or stowage. The ABDRS is designed to be operated normally no more than four sailors.