TABLE 12.2 CHARACTERISTICS OF SUPPORT PLATFORMS 



SEA HUNTER^ 



Perry 

 Vehicles 



65 



6,5 



75 



3,000 nm 

 10 days 



Stiff Leg 

 Boom 



Conventional Hull 



' Over and above ship & submersible crew accommodations ^Submerged speed; with DSRV surface speed 5 knots 

 "Test and Evaluation Platform *The much larger VICKERS VOYAGER also supports these vehicles 



'No longer operating as support ship 



a. battery chargers 



b. air compressors 



c. scuba equipment 



d. submersible tracking system 



e. small boat or rubber raft 



f. citizen band radio 



g. launch/retrieval apparatus 

 h. underwater telephone 



In addition the support platform generally 

 includes a space suitable for a dark room, 

 "customer" work space and space for instru- 

 ment maintenance or repair. One of the more 

 convenient type of ships for submersible sup- 

 port is the oil supply boat such as SEARCH- 

 TIDE. Owing to its uncluttered and ample 

 deck space, portable vans may be placed 



aboard to accommodate virtually any re- 

 quirement, while at the same time allow 

 space for launch/retrieval apparatus and op- 

 erations. 



LAUNCH/RETRIEVAL 

 METHODS 



**On occasion the sub (PC3-B) would 

 appear to be in imminent danger of 

 being dashed against the side of the 

 ship, only to have the hook suddenly 

 take hold and pull her free of the 

 water. Other times she was not so 

 fortunate. On one particularly rough 



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