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Acoustic Underwater Trials in Falmouth
01 Sep 2005
Falmouth UK based BayMarine has successfully carried out acoustic sea trials on behalf of a major British defence contractor. The trials were carried out in 60m deep water in Falmouth Bay from Bay Marine's multi-talented workboat Redeemer .
The system tested uses acoustic pulses to track underwater vehicles such as submarines or ROVs. It is comprised of three buoys containing detection hydrophes, a GPS reference, and radio telemetry. The buoys were deployed using Redeemer 's crane and winches whilst all monitoring equipment was set up in the vessel's large wheelhouse and powered by an onboard generator. A sound source was mounted rigidly 10m below Redeemer so it could be tracked while manoeuvring around the buoys.
The source emits regular pulses and also a depth reference. The three tracking buoys deployed by Redeemer transmitted data back to a remote monitoring station onboard the vessel. This data comprises the GPS position of the buoy, the time of arrival, and the pulse.
From this information, the position of the underwater vehicle, including its depth, can be accurately determined.
This was the first stage of two sets of trials, with the second stage to be completed later in the year.
MJ Information No: 21038
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