Page 69 - The ROV Manual - A User Guide for Remotely Operated Vehicles 2nd edition

3.1 A bit of history 57
FIGURE 3.1
The Navy’s CURV II vehicle.
FIGURE 3.2
Co-author R. Wernli (right) directs the launch of the US Navy’s WSP/PIV.
With such successes under its belt, the Navy expanded into more complex vehicles, such as the massive Pontoon Implacement Vehicle (PIV), which was developed to aid in the recovery of sunken submarines, shown with the integrated Work Systems Package (WSP) (Figure 3.2).
At the other end of the scale, the US Navy developed one of the very first small-size observa- tion ROVs. The SNOOPY vehicle, which was hydraulically operated from the surface, was one of the first portable vehicles (Figure 3.3).
This version was followed by the Electric SNOOPY, which extended the vehicle’s reach by going with a fully electric vehicle. Eventually sonars and other sensors were added and the child- hood of the small vehicles had begun.
Navy-funded programs helped Hydro Products (San Diego, CA) get a jump on the ROV field through the development of the TORTUGA, a system dedicated to investigating the utility of a submarine-deployed ROV. These developments led to Hydro Products’ RCV line of “flying eye- ball” vehicles (Figure 3.4).