Systems and methods for autonomous underwater navigation are disclosed. In one embodiment, a system for autonomous underwater navigation comprises an underwater communication network, at least one master controller node coupled to the underwater communication network, at least one network docking node coupled to the underwater communication network, and at least one submersible vehicle for underwater mapping at least a portion of a floor of a body of water. The submersible vehicle comprises a geolocation module to establish a geographic reference for at least one location in the underwater geographic region and an image collection module to collect images of an underwater geographic region proximate the geographic reference.