Limp Log Mooring Design

The Limp Log buoy was developed to fill the need for a telemetry buoy capable of long term survival in the open ocean. The buoy includes a reliable data link from the sea floor to the sea surface and a surface buoy capable of satisfying the constraints required by a satellite antenna. The Limp Log design combines the surface buoy with the surface tether in the form of a long tapered, buoyant, flexible hose filled with syntactic foam. By coiling the data lines inside the hose, the strength member and the data line are mechanically isolated from each other and the stress in the data line becomes negligible. This construction eliminates the interface between a surface buoy and its mooring and provides a nearly indestructable buoy with no stress concentrations and no lumped masses to resonate. This buoy design is a new concept and can provide the long desired characteristics of simplicity and survivability in a severe environment.