EvoLogics Modems Now Authorized for US Navy Use

EvoLogics underwater acoustic modems were recently listed as Authorized for Navy Use (ANU), following a lengthy period of testing and technical evaluation by Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and the Emergency Ship Salvage Material (ESSM) system. The ANU programme provides a list of selected diving equipment, tools and accessories that have undergone design safety reviews, testing and evaluation to ensure diver safety and acceptability.

Engineers at ESSM who conducted the testing of the EvoLogics 18/34 kHz USBL modem system concluded “the system to be more accurate than our ability to physically measure the angle and distances between the USBL and the modem…these tests gave us confidence in the system.”

The investigation of the EvoLogics USBL positioning system was driven by ESSM in the hope of being able to more efficiently locate fuel tanks in submerged shipwrecks for oil salvage. Specifically, ESSM were hoping to use the system to locate fuel tanks on the wreck of the Prinz Eugen (shown below), a German battleship sunk in 1946 at Bikini Atoll.

SSM tested the EvoLogics USBL system in Yorktown, PA, USA, using concrete floating piers. The USBL receiver was mounted in a fixed location for the duration of the tests, suspended on a pole affixed to the side of the pier about 4 feet (1.2 metres) below the surface. Repeated trials were conducted with the downside beacon modem moved to various positions to simulate a diver locating specific points on the hull of a vessel. EvoLogics modems utilize proprietary Spread-Spectrum Communication (S2C) technology, which stems from bionic concepts and allows for data delivery in challenging, shallow water conditions for a wide range of subsea applications. The EvoLogics system repeatedly demonstrated the accuracy necessary to locate specific points on the hull.

The ANU listing for EvoLogics and other authorized devices can be found here.