The realization of potential Federal agency users 
may close the gap (fig. 5) between the national ca- 
pability and utilization. Requirements of the aca- 
demic institutions indicate additional facilities are 
needed. There already appear to be some shortages, 
such as insufficient submersibles with lockout, the 
lack of a mobile undersea laboratory, and lack of 
scuba ships. In addition, some of the platforms may 
not be suitable for efficient use for a specific applica- 
tion because of mismatches in characteristics, in- 
13 Submersibles Without Lockout 
strumentation limitations, environmental limits, and 
geographical location. 
In most cases, no single civil program has suffi- 
cient requirements to fully support a platform for 
a full year. The intermittent use of platforms for 
short periods of time significantly raises the cost. The 
result is that funding requirements are excessive and 
therefore not programmed. Thus, funding and its 
continuity becomes a major problem in the utiliza- 
tion of platforms. 
3 Submersibles With Lockout 
Present 
ee Federal Agency Survey 
ae University of New Hampshire Survey 
== Unsolicited Proposals, Industry, 
& Projected Growth 
Figure 5. Present utilization rates (percent) 
of undersea platforms compared with utiliza- 
tion capabilities surveyed. 
