<p>A novel adaptive fault-tolerant control scheme is presented for underactuated surface vessels (USVs) tracking control under actuator faults, input saturation, dynamic uncertainties and unknown disturbances. First, to overcome the design difficulties caused by the underactuated problem, we convert the original mathematical model into the novel USV dynamics in the state space. Second, to address actuator faults and input saturation, an indirect neural approximation with virtual parameter technique and the smoothness of the hyperbolic tangent function is proposed respectively. Third, compared with other adaptive strategies, the advantage of the proposed adaptive control strategy is that control gains require adjustment of a few parameters. In addition, a Lyapunov method is used to obtain the control law and adaptive law, and the stability of the system is analyzed. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed control method is proved by simulation.</p>