SPURV - The First Decade
1973
Widditsch, H. R.
The Self-Propelled Underwater Research Vehicle (SPURV) has been under development at the Applied Physics Laboratory for over ten years and is a reliable and practical research tool. Instrumentation developed for SPURV includes temperature and conductivity probes, a fluorometer for dye tracing experiments and a data recording system. Oceanographic and vehicle performance data are multiplexed and digitized and taped on a special recorder, Digital- computer data reduction provides a run summary printout and system performance check a short time after a run. Data are also telemetered acoustically to the mother ship which carries a transducer array for receiving data and tracking and commanding SPURV. Frequency shifted and digitally-coded signals are used for the acoustic link. A special code, detected by correlation techniques, is used to enhance data accuracy. SPURV's depth control uses a digital reference which is manipulated to provide incremental, sawtooth or long, slow, ramp-like depth excursions. Course changes and an azimuth program are also available on command. SPURV has been operated on over 100 runs at sea, mainly from Navy AGOR-type ships. Launch and recovery tools and techniques have been steadily refined and can cope with any reasonable sea state.
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