SP-350 



LENGTH: 9 ft HATCH DIAMETER: 15.75 in. 



BEAM 9 ft LIFE SUPPORT (MAX): 96 man-hr 



height' 5 ft TOTAL POWER: 1 3 kWh 



DRAFT: 5 ft SPEED (KNOTS): CRUISE 0.6/4 hr 



WEIGHT (DRY) 4.2 tons MAX 1.0/2 hr 



OPERATING DEPTH 1,350 ft CREW: PILOTS 1 



COLLAPSE DEPTH: 3,300 ft OBSERVERS 1 



LAUNCH DATE: 1959 PAYLOAD: 300 lb 



PRESSURE HULL: Two, 0.75-in. thick, forged, mild steel ellipsoids are welded together to form a 6.5-ft major diam., 4.9-ft minor diam. pressure 



hull. 



BALLAST/BUOYANCY: Launched negatively buoyant. Two 55-lb cast iron weights provide negative buoyancy at launch. When nearing the 



bottom one weight is mechanically dropped and the vehicle is near neutral buoyancy. Fine buoyancy control is obtained by flooding/pumping 



seawater in or out of a 1 2-gal tank. To ascend, the second 55-lb weight is dropped. 



PROPULSION/CONTROL: A 2-hp, DC motor drives ambient seawater through a hard plastic, 2-in. diameter tube configured to terminate on port 



and starboard sides at jet nozzles. Jets can be made to rotate 270° from straight forward (pointing aft) to the vertical. Water flow may be diverted 



from one jet to another. Motor speeds are '/a or full. 



TRIM: Bow angles of +30°from the horizontal are obtained by hydraulically pumping 275 lb of mercury from one to another of two cylinders 



located fore and aft of the vehicle. The forward cylinder Is above the vehicle's centerline and the aft one below. 



POWER SOURCE: Six 120-V, lead-acid batteries supply 105 amp-hr of power for propulsion and lighting. Batteries are located external to the 



pressure hull and are pressure-compensated. 



LIFE SUPPORT: Two 20-ft3 capacity tanks in the pressure hull holds sufficient O2 for 96 man-hr. Six perforated trays hold a total of 16 lb 



Baralyme to absorb COj. Air Is circulated by a fan to facilitate CO2 removal and is monitored periodically as is atmospheric pressure. 



VIEWING: Two, acrylic plastic viewports 120° apart looking forward and slightly below the horizontal for pilot/passenger. These two ports are 3.5 



in. thick, 4.7-in. ID, 6.55-in, OD and provide overlapping coverage at 80° each. Between the two large ports is a 1 .65-in.-diam. camera port. Three 



wide-angle optical windows look upwards and provide 170 field of view. 



OPERATING/SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT: UQC (42-kHz), gyrocompass, depth gage, up/down echo sounder, 35-mm external camera. Hydraulic 



boom (5 ft extension) holds a 2,500-W light source for internal 16-mm cine camera. 



MANIPULATORS: One mounted port side forward, hydraulically driven, with two degrees of freedom (shoulder/hand). Basically this is a pivoted 



arm (rotating in one plane) which folds under the brow when not in use and is extended downward in the vertical to grasp. The vehicle itself can be 



maneuvered to attain somewhat greater arm versatility. 



SAFETY FEATURES: Inflatable conning tower around hatch for emergency surface exit. 400 lb mechanically releasable weight. Trim mercury 



(275 lb) jettisonabte. Scuba tanks inside hull for emergency breathing. 



SURFACE SUPPORT: SOO. 



OWNER: Campagnes Oceanographique Francaises, Monaco. 



BUILDER: Office Francaisde Recherches Sous-Marine, Marseilles, France. 



REMARKS: Operational. Redesignated SP-350 in 1970 following repressurization of all components to assure greater operational depth capability. 



Also known as DIVING SAUCER, DENICE, DS-2, SP-300 and LA SOUCOUPE PLONGEANTE. 



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