figured and instrumented to measure the response of complex, three- 

 dimensional cable structure to ocean currents and permit the evaluation 

 of structure analysis methods. After 8 months of operation 500 feet 

 below the ocean surface, suspended from the top of the three 4.000-foot- 

 long mooring legs, the structure continued to maintain nearly complete 

 mechanical and electrical integrity. 



Anchor development is another area of ocean engineering benefitting 

 from recent developments in technology. New propellant-actuated 

 anchors offer distinct advantages over conventional anchors. They resist 

 loads in any direction, are highly efficient, function in any seafloor from 

 soft-clay to basalt, do not require dragging to become embedded, and 

 greatly decrease the size and amount of line, chain, and connective ap- 

 paratus required. 



Three categories of propellant anchors have been produced. They 

 have, respectively, a 10.000-, 20.000-, and 100.000-pound, nominal, long- 

 term holding capability. The 20.000-pound anchor has been recently 

 fabricated and is still undergoing tests at 12.000- and 18.000-foot depths. 

 The other two categories are used by military organizations, and interest 

 in all three is rapidly spreading to other Government agencies and to in- 

 dustrial firms. 



In 1975. the value of propellant-actuated anchors was demonstrated 

 when 18 of these anchors were successfully fired into a coral seafloor at 

 the U.S. Naval Communications Station in Diego Garcia in the Indian 

 Ocean. The purpose of this operation was to establish two large mooring 

 systems for tankers of from 38,000 to 54,000 dwt. They were used after 

 conventional anchors failed to provide adequate mooring for the 

 tankers, 



RECOVERY SYSTEMS 



The development of the Large Object Salvage System (LOSS) will sig- 

 nificantly improve the USN ability to recover objects weighing up to 

 3,000 long tons from depths down to 850 feet, LOSS will be used to 

 recover surface vessels, submersibles, habitats, missies and weapons, 

 and other objects in that weight range. 



To achieve this objective, the LOSS project includes the development 

 of rigid pontoons, each capable of providing 100 tons of buoyancy at 

 depths to 850 feet using self-contained gas generation systems. The 

 system will employ various methods of pontoon placement and attach- 

 ment as well as ascent control and remote control from the surface. 



LOSS components may be combined in various ways to provide flex- 

 ibility of response to a wide variety of operational scenarios. Attachment 

 arms affixed to the pontoon understructure can easily be modified to the 

 desired configuration for each specific operation. These attachment 



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