Methods and devices are configured to maintain a planned arrangement of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). An AUV performs a corrective motion to adjust its current position relative to other AUVs emitting signals, so that the AUV's corrected position matches a planned position of the AUV in the planned arrangement better than its current position. The corrective motion is determined based on the location of the AUVs whose emitted signals are detected by the AUV.