Abstract: A method and apparatus for the remote recovery of submerged pipelines is disclosed. The operations are entirely controlled by an operator located on a lay barge or other floating vessel. A buoy and cables are manipulated from the lay barge to deploy equipment to a submerged pipeline. To utilize the invention, an alignment cable is threaded through a pipe alignment frame and is then connected to a buoy. The pipe alignment frame is lowered by the alignment cable into an operational relationship with the submerged pipeline. Once the pipe alignment frame is in an operational relationship with the submerged pipeline, the alignment cable is slackened and the buoy and attached alignment cable rise to the water surface. Cutting equipment connected to a retrieval cable is connected to the alignment cable. The cutting equipment is lowered to a predetermined location relative to the pipe alignment frame and attached pipeline by taking in the alignment cable while paying out the retrieval cable.