The Maritime Engineering Reference Book

Chapter 10 Underwater vehicles

10.1 Introduction

Underwater vehicles, in the broadest sense, cover manned and unmanned vehicles, Figure 10.1, with the unmanned vehicles being divided into autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) which are non-tethered, and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) which are tethered. The manned versions include submarines and passenger carrying submersibles. The roles of the unmanned vehicles include the use of AUVs by oceanographers to map the features of the ocean and operators such as the oil and gas industry to map the seabed. ROVs are used for many purposes including underwater observation, exploration of the seabed, underwater construction and maintenance of subsea projects and underwater inspection and cleaning ...