FRONTIERS IX OCEANIC RESEARCH 35 



Mr. Anfuso. Can these measurements which you have talked about 

 be made with equipment other than the bathyscaph, such as from 

 surface ships ? 



Dr. Rechnitzer. At the present time, not with the completeness, 

 nor does it have the advantage of having man's eyes and mind back- 

 ing up the observations and measurements, because you can interpret 

 directly and save a tremendous amount of time by having man in the 

 environment observing what is going on and making measurements 

 at the same time. If you do it by a surface ship, you do not see these 

 other dynamic activities that are going on. 



Mr. Anfuso. Doctor, I am curious to know why the bathyscaph has 

 to be towed so slowly to the different sites? Why does it have to be 

 towed at all ( Why cannot it be carried by a ship to the site I 



Dr. Rechnitzer. There is one serious complication at the present 

 time: The bathyscaph cannot be lifted until the ballast and gaso- 

 line are removed from the craft, and to do this requires more facilities 

 than we have available. A mother ship, capable of receiving the 

 gasoline, some 30,000 gallons, and some 16 tons of ballast, is required. 

 And then, of course, it requires that a ship be relatively large to lift 

 the 45-ton craft and set it on deck. 



Mr. Anfuso. Do you think that in the future you would have to 

 have something like that ? 



Dr. Rechnitzer. Yes. We feel that this is almost mandatory not 

 only for the bathyscaph, but for other small submersibles that are in 

 planning, and will probably be coming along in the near future. 



Mr. Anfuso. What kind of logistic support does the bathyscaph 

 now have assigned to it, and what are the Navy's future plans re- 

 garding the support of this ? 



Dr. Rechnitzer. At the present time our fleet consists of the Trieste, 

 a converted landing craft, and one small lobster boat. 



During our operations we require a towing vessel, and this is as- 

 signed for the specific periods at which we expect to go to sea. 



But working with the bathyscaph, it is somewhat like launching 

 a missile. It isn't always ready to go at the specified date. We then 

 have to fit it in with other Navy operations, and sometimes we are 

 forced to then sit on the beach and wait until we have our next reser- 

 vation. 



Mr. Anfuso. My final question is, Is the experience with the bathy- 

 scaph applicable to other deep submerged vehicles and, if so, how does 

 the Navy presently plan to exploit the experience obtained by the 

 bathyscaph crew through its record dives ? 



Dr. Rechnitzer. I think one of the most trenchant examples of the 

 benefits that can be derived from the bathyscaphs are the electrical 

 leads that penetrate the sphere. These have held up against the tre- 

 mendous pressures involved in these deep dives, and will be the 

 nucleus for the development of better hull fittings for newer sub- 

 marines. 



Mr. Anfuso. I want to conclude by congratulating all of you gentle- 

 men, and may I just say, or, rather, inquire. Lt. Don Walsh was the 

 commanding officer of the Trieste; is that correct \ 



Lieutenant Walsh. I still am. 



Mr. Anfuso. You still are? 



Lieutenant Walsh. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Miller. May I interject here? 



Mr. Anfuso. Sure. 



