The Sonar Hazard Avoidance and Reaction Control (SHARC) is an interface system that integrates ships Voyage Management System, steering, and sonar systems to automatically display mines and other underwater objects, including rocks, ice and shallows, to quickly alert ships personnel of a potentially dangerous course, and recommend a safe course to steer. SHARC transmits critical information about hazardous conditions between the ships systems, optimizing communication between sonar and bridge teams and eliminating potential human errors in the voice transmittal of data and providing the immediate notification of a potentially dangerous situations. Benefit The Sonar Hazard Avoidance and Reaction Control (SHARC) module offers a variety of important, cost-saving, and even life saving applications. Underwater hazards are a threat to all types of maritime vessels, not just military. The goal of all commercial, private, and military ships is to get to the designated location safely and in a timely manner. Minefields and shallow objects in a ships path jeopardize these objectives. SHARC will have the ability to not only detect underwater threats, but to provide a suggested safe route or even steer out of the danger zone automatically. SHARC has extensive applicability to interests ranging from the U.S. Coast Guard, as they transit dangerous waterways on Homeland Security patrols, to commercial fishing vessels seeking low-cost ways to prevent loss of nets tangled on underwater objects, to marine scientists researching ways to safely navigate around whales and manatees. Keywords ECDIS, integrated bridge, Mine Avoidance, Sonar, Steering
