M/V TRANSQUEST 



mersible owner and equipped with a launch/ 

 retrieval apparatus for a particular contract 

 or testing period. Examples of these are 

 Westinghouse's SEARCHTIDE, General Dy- 

 namics' GEMINI and SEA CLIFF and TUR- 

 TLE'S MAXmE D. 



Equipment and facilities aboard the sup- 

 port platform are governed by operational 

 and submersible requirements. Battery 

 chargers, air compressors, routine mainte- 

 nance and minor repair facilities, dark 

 rooms, data processing rooms, instrument 

 repair and maintenance rooms may be pro- 

 vided by permanent accommodations such as 

 on ALVMINAUrs RIV, PRIVATEER, or pro 

 vided by mobile vans such as those mounted 

 aboard SEARCHTIDE. During a long-term 

 torpedo retrieval contract in Howe Sound, 

 British Columbia, PISCES I and // were 

 supported by an anchored barge (Figure 

 12.9). They were launched therefrom into the 



water and towed several miles by a small 

 boat to the dive site. These examples are 

 used to demonstrate that there is very little 

 in the way of "standard" submersible sup- 

 port, and that the requirements change from 

 job to job and from area to area. 



A list of the platforms which have sup- 

 ported specific submersibles is presented in 

 Table 12.2. Also included are their specifica- 

 tions and launch/retrieval systems. To list all 

 the support equipment aboard a particular 

 platform at a given time would only reflect 

 the requirements of a particular job. There 

 are, however, standard equipments which an 

 independently-operating support platform 

 carries when divorced from daily shore sup- 

 port. In addition to these equipments a sea- 

 going ship normally carries ship-to-shore 

 communications, electronic navigation, ra- 

 dar, echo sounders, etc. The following are 

 carried specifically for submersible support: 



590 



