CATCHY an AUV ice dock

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) are poised as a leading technology for performing ocean survey and data collection. This is especially true in ice covered regions. Operations in which an AUV must be deployed through a hole in the ice presents many unique challenges that differ from ship based operations where the AUV is fully accessible via open leads. Typically, significant infrastructure is required to launch and recover a vehicle through the ice. In order to minimize cost and effort, an in-water/though-ice docking system that enables AUV capture and restraint for charging, data upload, and navigational alignment has been designed, tested and successfully deployed. The Canadian AUV through-ice capture and hold system (CATCHY) developed by Memorial University for Natural Resources Canada under Project CORNERSTONE is described in this paper. This system utilizes a robust mechanical system in conjunction with an auxiliary remotely operated vehicle (ROV) through a set of operational procedures. This system has been tested successfully, both in a controlled tank environment and through a field deployment in the Arctic. Lessons learned in this development will be utilized for future on ice AUV work.