hands must be on breathing rig at 

 the start of flooding. Use of Plankton 

 Sampler can vastly speed flooding. 



12. Release guide line. 



13. Await signal from PTC before at- 

 tempting to exit. 



14. Upon signal from PTC, exit and swim 

 or follow line to the PTC. Be pre- 

 pared to ditch gear before entering 

 PTC if requested by the PTC escort. 



In the event that the signal under item 13 

 may not be readily communicated by the 

 PTC escort, he may elect to make a series of 

 three taps in quick succession repeated at 

 intervals as necessary to assure receipt will 

 constitute an exit instruction. 



— Gulf Stream Drift Mission Plan, 



May, 1969 



h) STAR III: 



The procedure is based upon escape from a 

 maximum of 300 feet. All tables and times 

 are based on this depth. 



The submersible occupants will notify top- 

 side when the oxygen pressure gage reads 

 100 psi. This shows that there is 1 hour of 

 oxygen life support left. Topside will make 

 ready, standing by with personnel at lookout 

 stations and divers and gear ready to assist 

 the submersible occupants when they reach 

 the surface. 



The submersible occupants will make use 

 of the following items: Each occupant will 

 don a Navy-type emergency ascent Steinkie 

 Hood, but will not place the hood over his 

 head. 



Emergency breathing regulators will be 

 made ready before the start of flooding the 

 sphere. 



The air line (a flexible hose and valve to 

 inflate life vests as the sphere is being 

 flooded) will be made ready. Face masks will 

 be made ready to use prior to flooding. The 

 hatch handle removal gear used to push out 

 the hatch handle shaft, underwater flash- 

 lights, and all other tools necessary to re- 

 move existing gear will be available to the 

 pilot. 



After all gear is ready, the following emer- 

 gency procedure will be carried out: 



1. A briefing to the observer on how to 

 make the emergency escape. 



2. Make final communications with top- 



side informing them that you are 

 ready to start emergency escape pro- 

 cedures to flood the sphere. 



3. Remove the hatch dogging gear and 

 install hatch shaft pin removal gear. 



4. Secure all electrical power and re- 

 move electrical power emergency 

 E.O. plug. (This eliminates all electri- 

 cal power to the sphere.) 



5. The air hose to inflate hoods shall be 

 readily available to the pilot. 



6. Don Steinkie Hood and pressurize 

 units for breathing. 



7. Open the water sampling line on the 

 sea manifold to start flooding. 



8. Remove hatch shaft pin using re- 

 moval gear. When the pin is removed 

 and water starts to enter, both pilot 

 and observer will position them- 

 selves in a sitting position during 

 flooding. An underwater light will be 

 strapped to each occupant. 



9. In the first minute during flooding, 

 the sphere will change pressure by 1 

 atmosphere, (33 ft = 14.7 psi -I- the 

 original atmosphere in the sphere be- 

 fore flooding, totalling approximately 

 29 psi). Approximate time to fully 

 flood sphere is about 4 minutes. 



NOTE: As pressure in the sphere builds 

 up, the pilot and observer must 

 replenish air to the Steinkie 

 Hoods. The hoods would be com- 

 pletely deflated after an external 

 pressure of 45 psi. The pressure to 

 the hoods must be maintained to 

 permit proper breathing. 

 10. The pilot and observer will maintain 

 physical contact at all times. 

 When the sphere is full enough to permit the 

 pilot to open the hatch, he will do so and he 

 will then open the sail hatch. The observer 

 will exit first, when he is outside the sub- 

 mersible, he will grab hold of the handrail 

 and wait for the pilot to exit. Before the pilot 

 and observer start their ascent to the sur- 

 face, they will fully inhale, fully exhale, and 

 on the fully exhale they will let go of the 

 handrail and, keeping their lungs as deflated 

 as possible, keep shouting HO-HO-HO all the 

 way to the surface. 



—STAR III Operations Manual, Jan. 1968 



663 



