method of attaching the lift line. Encompass- 

 ing the end of the pendant is a platform on 

 which a person stands and manually lowers 

 and attaches the lift line to the submersible 

 directly below. When the attachment is made 

 the submersible is reeled in taut against the 

 pendant and retrieval proceeds as with the 

 PISCES vehicles. The point of this approach 

 is to eliminate the need for putting a person 

 in the water. 



Conceptual Launch/Retrieval 

 Methods 



Owing to the significant obstacle the sea 

 surface presents to submersible operations, 

 many approaches to launch/retrieval have 

 been conceived. While none of these systems 

 are as desirable as the mother submarine 

 concept, they are within the financial grasp 

 of submersible operators and, because of the 

 importance of the problem, they are cata- 

 logued here to acquaint the reader with the 

 many options for handling heavy loads at 

 sea. Whereas the diagrams are generally 



self-explanatory, aspects of system pros and 

 cons are briefly discussed. 



Elevator (Fig. 12.15): Designed by F. Willet 

 (Westinghouse), the system has the advan- 

 tage of requiring small deck space and of 

 being adaptable to ships of high freeboard. 

 Disadvantages are in the need to use divers 

 in a dangerous area (ship's wake) and in a 

 high degree of maintenance to the many 

 cables and pulleys. 



Floating Dock (Fig. 12.16): Designed by 

 A. P. lanuzzi (Westinghouse), the system 

 provides protection to the submersible, but 

 the "moment of truth" (connection of ship to 

 vehicle) at the interface still exists. Studies 

 by A. Vine (Woods Hole Oceanographic Insti- 

 tution) show the "wheel concept" to be appli- 

 cable to the retrieval of moderate loads (life- 

 boats, buoys) aboard ship by attaching shock 

 absorbing aircraft wheels to the load itself. 



Stern Crane-Ways (Fig. 12.17): An AMF 

 Corporation concept envisions mating the 

 submersible rigidly to a lift carriage which is 

 then winched up the craneways and aboard 

 ship. Mating the submersible to the carriage 



\IHAUL WINCH 



DIVERS ATTACH DOWNHAUL LINES 

 AFTER TOWING LINE BRINGS 

 VEHICLE OVER TROLLEY. 



VEHICLE READY FOR LIFT 



STEPS TO PREVENT OUTER 

 STRUCTURE FROM PIVOTING 

 DOWN. FREE TO ARC UP 

 WITH WAVE MOTION & VEHICLE 

 BUOYANCY. 



DIVER OPERATES 

 DOWNHAUL WINCH AND 

 VEHICLE LOCKS INTO 

 CRADLE/TROLLEY, 

 OVERCOMING VEHICLE 

 BUOYANCY. 



Fig. 12.15 Elevator concept. (F. Willet, Westinghouse) 



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