Construction and method for elongated towed underwater sonar

A method of constructing an elongated towed underwater acoustic array which comprises

• electrically interconnecting a plurality of hydrophones and electronic modules,
• covering said hydrophones, electronic modules and electrical connections with a substantially continuous sheath of protective plastic foam material,
• providing a plurality of strength members to carry the tensile load on said array,
• and enclosing said hydrophones, electronic modules, electrical connectors, said sheath and said strength members in a tube-like jacket of tough synthetic material such as polyurethane,
• characterized in that said strength members are contained and separated within said tube-like jacket through the steps of providing a tube-like fabric retaining member slightly shorter than said tube-like jacket,
• longitudinally stitching or seaming said retaining member at a plurality of locations to provide a structure with a large center tube and a plurality of spaced parallel tubes of small diameter and
• feeding said strength members through said small diameter tubes,
• feeding said sheath and its contents through said large center tube,
• securing said retaining member in said array to prevent axial movement of said retaining member relative to said array, and
• terminating said strength members and electrical connections at a connector at each end of said array.