32 THE NAVY OCEAN ENGINEERING PROGRAM 



A weatherproof control console permits centralized topside control of 

 both diving and decompression phases. Breathing mixture control, com- 

 munications, power, and television monitoring are included. 



Salvage Lift System 



An underwater salvage Uft system has been developed whose concept in- 

 cludes power-actuated attachment devices (to allow attachment of a lift 

 point with a minimum amount of work by a diver or deep submergence 

 vehicle), a buoy which can be ballasted to neutral buoyancy to support the 

 attachment device (while it is being positioned and which will carry an 

 internally stowed messenger line to the surface after the attachment device 

 is attached), and a remote coupling device which may be lowered down the 

 messenger line to attach a heavy Hft cable to the attachment device. The 

 power-actuated attachment device was tested successfully at a depth of 200 

 ft in Sealab II. 



Use of this system will significantly reduce the amount of work re- 

 quired by divers in making lift attachments underwater. It eliminates the 

 requirement for handling heavy attachment fittings and making mechanical 

 connections by drilling and bolting or welding. It also eliminates the re- 

 quirement for divers to position and connect heavy lift cables suspended 

 from a surface ship moving in response to surface waves. 



The variable-buoyancy buoy has been built in prototype form and given 

 prehminary tests in about 100 ft of water. The complete Hft system will 

 be tested operationally in Sealab III at a depth of about 430 ft. 



Diver Tools 



Most diver tools used to date were originally designed for sea level, 

 dry air operation. When such equipment is exposed to an environment 

 which is chemically corrosive, highly pressurized, 800 times more dense 

 than air, and populated by marine hfe with fouhng and other destructive 

 characteristics, severe engineering problems are to be anticipated. 



Divers, unless anchored in place with restraining devices, are subject to 

 undesired effects from tool reaction forces. This fact means that all tools 

 to be developed must have torque-free characteristics if they are rotary in 

 character, or of special design if they are to be of the explosive impact 

 type. 



