Handling Problems at the Ocean-Air Interface

Abstract

The increasing demand for a flexible Naval response to a broad spectrum of military situations imposes a demand to carry out missions in increasingly higher sea states. Launching and retrieving buoyant objects or loading cargo into boats responding to the ocean-air interface requires improved technology for successful operations in high sea states. There is an urgent need for handling systems that provide the degree of control necessary for those Navy missions subjected to an increasing all-weather response. Advances in the state of the art or the development of new techniques are needed to support these operational requirements. This paper will discuss present handling systems and proposed new methods.