Fig 122 OSflV-7 entering a C-141A with mating skirt removed (US NAVY) 



In spite of careful planning and handling, 

 it is not uncommon to sustain damage which 

 can cause several days' delay in diving oper- 

 ation. P. C. Sly (1) related that during air and 

 road transit from Vancouver, B.C. to Trenton 

 Air Base on the Bruce Peninsula, and thence 

 to Tobermory on the Georgian Bay, PISCES 

 III sustained damage to its drop weight 

 mechanism, ballast bags and mechanical 

 arms; three days were required to repair 

 these and other damages incurred during 

 the transport phase alone. 



Air 



Submersible transport by air is accompa- 

 nied by similar load and dimension con- 

 straints as found with land transport. Those 

 submersibles not air transportable by rea- 

 sons of weight, dimensions or both include 



ALUMINAUT, BEN FRANKLIN. AUGVSTE 

 PICCARD. TRIESTE II, ARCHIMEDE and 

 NR-1 . Lockheed's C-141A is presently the 

 largest cargo carrying aircraft in the U.S.; 

 its cargo entrance just accommodates the 8- 

 foot 2-inch-diameter DSRV with its mating 

 skirt detached (Fig. 12.2). Even so the 37-ton 

 submersible must be specially loaded for the 

 C-141A to accommodate the P/4-ton excess 

 over its normal load capacity. There is no 

 civilian aircraft of comparable weight dimen- 

 sions to the C-141A. When the C-5A is opera- 

 tional its 95-ton capacity will accommodate 

 all submersibles, with the possible exception 

 of the bathyscaphs and NR-1. To gain some 

 idea of the size of the C-5A, it presently 

 requires three C-141A's to carry the DSRV 

 and its support equipment, whereas only one 

 C-5A can do the whole job. 



579 



