jfA- v%«*.V.V.-.v.-.yAVA', 



Explosive experts examine the parachute-fouled H-Bomb recovered from 

 2,850 feet oH the Southern Coast ol Spain in 1966 (US Navy) 



mersibles. The sonar devices worked well in 

 flat, nearshore areas, but they could only tell 

 that "something" was on the bottom, not 

 what it was. Ambient pressure divers did 

 most of the shallow identification along with 

 the Perry PC-3B. In the rugged, offshore 

 bottom the bomb was concealed from sonar 

 contact by ridges between the gullies. The 

 offshore search was left to ALVIN, ALUMI- 

 ISAUT and DEEP JEEP. The latter ran into 

 operational difficulties and withdrew early 

 in the search. ALVIN located the parachute- 

 shrouded bomb at 2,250 feet and attached a 

 lift line which parted during retrieval and 

 started the search anew. When the bomb was 

 relocated it was now at 2,850 feet, and a self- 

 propelled, TV-equipped, cable-powered de- 

 vice, CURV (Controlled Underwater Re- 

 search Vehicle), was employed to attach a lift 

 line for retrieval. In the process of hooking 

 up, CURV became entangled in the bomb's 

 parachute and fortuitously both CURV and 

 the bomb were retrieved (Fig. 3.18) after 

 some 80 days of search/recovery efforts. 



While the performance of all system partic- 

 ipants was less than perfect, the bomb was 

 found and recovered, an almost impossible 

 feat at the time of THRESHER 3 years ear- 

 lier. The bomb hunt highlighted the problem 

 of undersea navigation, reliability of sub- 

 mersibles and the still primitive stage of our 

 ability to recover objects from the deep sea 

 (32). The bomb hunt, with its attendant pub- 

 licity, provided more encouragement to the 

 submersible builders. ALUMINAUTs $304,- 

 000 bill for its participation did not go unno- 

 ticed either. 



In June 1966 Westinghouse Corporation's 

 DEEPSTAR 4000 (Fig. 3.19) began a diving 

 program for NEL that continued into the 

 spring of 1968 and covered not only the east 

 and west coasts of the U.S., but Central 

 America as well. Including a Westinghouse- 

 financed series of 11 dives in project 

 GULFVIEW in the Gulf of Mexico (33), 

 DEEPSTAR 4000 conducted some 500 dives 

 from June 1966 through June 1968. It is 

 significant that this contract would be the 

 longest Navy lease given to any privately- 

 owned submersible to the date of this publi- 

 cation; the total contract amounted to $2,- 

 142,155 (34). 



Another aspect of submersible diving 

 which entered the 1966 scene was that of 





Rg 3 19 Onginally slated lor 12,000 feel, DEEPSTAR 4000 represented the first 



Westinghouse candidate for deep diving In its 4-year career the versatile craft would 



conduct over 500 dives and add significantly to our knowledge of the deep sea, 



(NAVOCEANO) 



53 



