NATIONAL OOEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM LEGISLATION 607 



Reynolds Sub-Marine Services Corp., 



Washington, B.C., August 2Jf, 1005. 

 Hon. Alton Lennon, 



Chairman, Siihcommittee on Oceanography, Committee on Merchant Marine and 

 Fishc7-ies, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, B.C. 

 Dear Mr. Chairman : Reynolds Sub-Marine Services Corp. is pleased to com- 

 ment on H.R. 10432, a bill which, provides expanded research and development in 

 the marine environment by establishing a National Council on Marine Resources 

 and Engineering Development and an associated Commission on Marine Science, 

 Engineering, and Resources. 



The portion of the subject bill dealing v^ith the encouragement of private in- 

 vestment enterprise in exploration and technological development is of particu- 

 lar interest to any industry seriously involved in the oceans. Reynolds Inter- 

 national, Inc., in connection with Reynolds Metals Co., has devoted 5 years and 

 several millions of dollars to producing the advanced deep research submersible 

 Aluminaut, now ready for charter operations to Government agencies, institu- 

 tions, and industry. 



The appointment by the President of persons with a competency in the areas 

 of science, engineering, and resources from industry, institutions, and the Gov- 

 ernment would permit a comprehensive evaluation of the oceanographic and en- 

 gineering tools offered by industry. We sincerely believe that a commission of 

 this composition will not only permit the saving of Government funds through 

 the elimination of duplicate efforts but will also provide a coordinated ocean 

 exploration and exploitation progTam that will be unsurpassed in the world. 

 Your consideration of these comments will be greatly appreciated. 

 Sincerely yours, 



Aethtjb L. Markel, 

 Vice President and General Manager. 

 Attachment. 



August 9, 19&5. 



"Aluminaut" Operations Brief 



The all-aluminum submarine Aluminaut set a new endurance record for deep 

 submergence submarines by transiting the Straits of Florida last "Wednesday. 

 The Aluminaut stayed submerged for 32 hours while traveling at an average 

 depth of 1,250 feet. The transit took place after several dives to the bottom of 

 the Gulf Stream, 2,750 feet deep. 



A five-man crew took the silver-zinc battery-powered 51-foot craft across the 

 Straits of Florida from the Bahamas to Miami in 10.5 hours at 1,200-foot depths, 

 J. Louis Reynolds, chairman of Reynolds International, Inc., the Alnminatit's 

 owner and developer disclosed. The submarine normally carries a crew of two. 

 The craft covered a distance of approximately 70 miles at speeds up to 3.5 knots. 



During the descent to 2,700 feet, the deep research submersible was approx- 

 imately 180 feet above the bottom, thus allowing her high resolution sonar to 

 map the bottom contours. All submergences deeper than .500 feet limited visi- 

 bility from the four viewing portholes and the underwater television to 40 feet. 

 Arthur L. Markel, vice president and general manager of Reynolds Sub-Marine 

 Services Corp., the subsidiary handling Aluminaut operations, stated that the 

 abundance of plankton below the 300-foot level produced a backscatter of Alumi- 

 naut's underwater lights thus preventing any greater visibility. Consequently, 

 the submarine relied on its forward-looking high-resolution sonar to search ahead 

 beam to beam 800 yards. 



Mr. Markel said the 33-hour run was highly successful indicating a substan- 

 tial reserve of battery power and life support systems. The submarine releases 

 oxygen and uses a carbon dioxide scrubber system to provide life support to the 

 crew and scientific personnel. 



While on the dive, the latest in a series of underwater trials, stress information 

 on the 6.5-inch thick hull was continuously measured. The Aluminaut is destined 

 to go continuously deeper until her design depth of 15,000 feet is reached. Deeper 

 dives will be made step by step since Aluminaut is too large to fit into any high- 

 pressure test tank facilities available in the world today. Hundreds of bits 

 of data are collected to monitor her response to increasing depths and greater 

 distances traveled. 



