Versatile autonomous submersibles - the realising and testing of a practical vehicle

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are no longer engineering curiosities, They have been under development since the 1970s but the last three years, in particular, have seen significant advances towards their use in operational missions, The state of the art for European and North American vehicles is summarised and the opportunities for future scientific missions are explored, The UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) AUTOSUB project epitomises the progress made in AUV technology, and recent field trials in coastal waters are described. Having proved its ability to gather scientific data autonomously, the vehicle is about to enter the next phase of performing operational scientific missions supported by appropriate technological upgrades.