USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Michael P Rousseau

Thomas R Stottlemyer

Tracey Acquaro-Paes

A towed active acoustic system includes a plurality of soft-bodied, towable, active acoustic modules. The plurality of active acoustic modules are suspended at various depths within the water column, and allow each active acoustic module to be much smaller than known soft-bodied systems and to operate at a much lower source level while still ensuring that the entire water column is ensonified. Each active acoustic module may include different numbers of transducers depending on the intended location of the active acoustic module relative to the water column. The tow cable preferably includes a faired body designed to minimize hydrodynamic drag and turbulence. The present system can be deployed and recovered through shipboard undersurface deployment tubes.

Distributed, soft-bodied, towable, active acoustic system

A method and device to neutralize influence mines has a control module to generate signals representative of acoustic and magnetic signatures of a ship. These representative signals will either detonate the threat mines or ensure that transiting ships will not set off the mines. An acoustic transducer array is coupled to the module to transmit acoustic signals representative of the acoustic portion of the signatures. A magnetic signal transmitter is coupled to the module to transmit magnetic signals representative of the magnetic portion of the signatures. An anchor is connected to the module, acoustic array, and magnetic signal transmitter to hold them at the ocean bottom, and a buoy is connected to the module, acoustic transducer array, and magnetic signal transmitter to hold the device vertically.

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Portsmouth, RI, United States of America

Michael P Rousseau