In the realm of undersea rescue, Time to First Rescue (TTFR) is of the absolute essence. Sortie of rescue-capable vessels to the distressed submersible site is the long leg in assembling needed rescue resources. Once there, without actionable information on the state of play at the distressed submersible, more time is lost in assessing the situation.
“Rapidly Deployable Undersea Survey System for Rescue Support” (RDUSSRS) refers to two related, self-contained undersea survey systems. Packaged in standard ISO classified containers with additional classification as service units, RDUSSRS provides the ability to establish precise location and a profound understanding of the situation at the distressed submersible that can be used for rescue mission planning. This information can substantially decrease TTFR and improve the operational safety.
RDUSSRS is a robust combination of acoustic, optical, and laser imaging sensor packages that are optimized for high-resolution seafloor surveys. As such, RDURSS would likely act first as a national or commercial asset used in a wide variety of survey and inspection tasks. It need not sit unused while awaiting a call to action.
The first system, similar to one delivered to a NATO navy for a variety of survey missions, uses a high payload capacity remotely operated towed vehicle (ROTV) carried in a 20’ container holding a deployment arm and winch system and includes an operator station. It can be rapidly deployed and mounted on a suitable vessel of opportunity. The highly effective sensor package is optimized for search, localization, and detailed survey.
The second system, which is fully self-contained in a 40’ container, provides an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) with a cylindrical ROTV. The containerized system can be delivered to the waterfront and the 26’ USV put in the water. The ROTV “nests” in the specially shaped hull under the USV, which contains the deployment winch.
Survey mission management software powers both systems and allows mission planning, real-time data acquisition and processing, or subsequent offline analysis supporting deep learning. An exceptionally effective multiple aperture side scan sonar provides acoustic imaging of objects on the seafloor. Precise positioning and navigation for accurate location of found objects are accomplished with an ultra-short baseline (USBL) system and a coupled inertial navigator and Doppler velocity log. Additional sensors can be included with either system to augment the mission or enhance identification and classification ability.
