Underwater vehicle towing and recovery apparatus

Underwater vehicle towing and recovery apparatus having, in combination, tow cable means, vehicle means having coupling means connected to the tow cable means;

• water foil depressor means connected with the vehicle means for creating downward forces as the vehicle means is towed underwater by the tow cable means;
• elongated streamlined buoyant recovery means, stabilized at a free end by a fin structure, and disposed above said vehicle means, said recovery means being flexibly connected at a leading end only thereof to a leading end of said vehicle means and to said cable means to be towed horizontally submerged substantially parallel to and above the vehicle means and being provided near its other and free end with the normally ineffective signalling means, the recovery means being permanently buoyantly adjusted so as to rise free-end upward to the surface when the vehicle means is no longer being towed, as upon at least one of stoppage of towing and severance of the tow cable means, to carry at least the vehicle means to the vicinity of the surface, and to float in a vertical attitude with its free end exposed above the surface, said recovery means and said vehicle means being free to move downwardly in response to the downward forces of said depressor means and being devoid of restraint from the water surface other than by said tow cable means;
• and the recovery means being further provided with means for rendering the normally ineffective signalling means effective when the said free end surfaces in upward position.