arms, in conjunction with a self-contained gas generation system, will 

 eliminate the need for the large number of airhose and rigging lines re- 

 quired with existing equipment and techniques. 



The pontoon will be able to be placed on the object by using either 

 conventional rigging techniques or a remote-controlled propulsion 

 system. These new pontoons will be used by fleet salvage forces and 

 will replace the existing 80-ton submarine salvage pontoons. 



A prototype pontoon with a liquid nitrogen system and a LOSS pro- 

 pulsion system, composed of five 30 hp motors, was tested in the Gulf of 

 Mexico, off Panama City. The test included the successful raising of an 

 80-ton object from 110 feet of water. Presently two second generation 

 systems designed to salvage 180-ton objects are being fabricated. 

 Dockside testing is being planned for fiscal year 1977. 



The success of the LOSS system prompted efforts to improve the 

 Navy's ability to recover objects weighing more than 1,000 long tons 

 from depths of 850 to 20,000 feet. These efforts are directed to salvaging, 

 from the lesser depths, submarines, surface ships, and pieces thereof, 

 and from the greater depths, submersibles, habitats, aircraft, missiles, 

 weapons, and essentially any other object in the weight range. 



To achieve this objective, the Extended Salvage Depth Capability 

 project will develop modular buoyancy units, each capable of providing 

 5 to 15 long tons of buoyancy to sunken objects at depths to 20,000 feet. 

 These units will be flexible or rigid pressure-compensated pontoons 

 with solid or liquid buoyancy-generation subsystems. Delivery and 

 emplacement subsystems, remote surface control systems, attachment 

 devices, and operational techniques will also be developed. 



The final system will be used by fleet salvage forces for recovery 

 operations carried out at depths in excess of 850 feet. The system could 

 also be utilized to provide supplemental buoyancy for operations involv- 

 ing LOSS equipment at depths above 850 feet. At present, grappling 

 hooks or lift lines must be used to recover large objects from depths in 

 excess of 1,000 feet. Even though the physical characteristics of the full- 

 scale unit have not yet been fully determined, the first series of tests on 

 the quarter-scale prototype are underway. 



In 1973, two manned submersibles, the /ohnson-Sea-Link and the 

 Pices III, were involved in accidents calling for emergency undersea 

 rescue. As a result, the USN prepared to plan from among USN research 

 and development resources to provide emergency assistance in case of a 

 submarine or submersible disaster. 



The initial step in this effort was the preparation of a USN report "In- 

 ventory of Navy Laboratory R&D Equipment Available for Emergency 

 Undersea Operation." This report represents the first attempt to provide 

 in a single volume, a concise listing of USN emergency research and 

 development hardware for submarine rescue or recovery. 



66 



