System for launching and recovering underwater vehicles, notably towed underwater vehicles

摘要

The invention is a system for launching and recovering automatically and without human intervention, marine or underwater vehicles (15) from a carrier vessel (10) which remains moving in order to limit the amplitude of the pitching and rolling movements to which it is subjected. The system comprises an inclinable articulated ramp (11) having a bottom (113) and edges (114, 115), and pulling means (13, 14, 16) for controlling the slippage of the vehicle along the ramp during launching and for hauling the vehicle up along the ramp during recovery. The ramp has a free end (112) the heightwise position of which varies between a submerged position in which it is immersed in the water and an out‑of‑the‑water position in which the ramp is in horizontal position. The system also comprises buoyancy means (131) allowing the free end of the ramp to float on or near the water surface when the ramp is lowered. The bottom (113) of the articulated ramp also has an external face configured to form streamlining ensuring the fluidity of the end of the ramp in contact with the water and limiting the vertical dynamic movements caused by the waves.