Although the ability to get to the depths of the sea requires de- 

 velopment of power sources and material, the ability to do effective 

 work once we arrive is almost entirely dependent on our advances 

 in oceonics and auxiliary systems. 



Diver Technology 



Navy developments in diving are focused on providing the 

 capability to perform useful work on the continental shelf. With 

 today's operational hardware, the Navy hard hat diver is limited 

 to a depth of 300 feet for 30 minutes in an inflated suit of rubberized 

 canvas, a heavy copper helmet, weighted belt and shoes, and in- 

 efficient tools. For depths greater than about 200 feet he breathes 

 a mixture of helium and oxygen. At shallow depths he wears a 

 lighter weight dress and breathes compressed air. Hard hat diving 

 is conducted in a "non-saturated" mode which requires extensive 

 decompression time (approximately 3 hours for a 30-minute dive 

 at 300 ft. ) following each trip to the bottom work site. While de- 

 compressing, the diver is suspended in the water beneath the sup- 

 port ship exposed to environmental hazards and discomforts. The 

 support ship is effectively immobilized until decompression is 

 complete and the diver hoisted aboard. The scuba diver has in- 

 creased mobility, but is linaited to about 200 feet on mixed gas and 

 135 feet on compressed air. 



Saturated diving systems are undergoing test and evaluation. 

 In this mode the diver remains under pressure until his blood and 

 tissues become saturated with the breathing gas at the ambient 

 pressure. He lives in a pressure chamber and is sheltered from 

 the ocean environment while resting between work shifts and during 

 decompression. After the diver becomes saturated, at a certain 

 pressure, his decompression time remains constant regardless of 

 the time he remains at that pressure. Thus, the ratio of working 

 time to decompression time, and hence the diver's effectiveness, 

 increase with mission duration. The diving systems consist es- 

 sentially of personnel transfer capsules which act as elevators to 

 and from the worksite, and deck decompression chambers which 

 house the diver in relative comfort aboard the support ship. 



Regardless of the diving mode, there are critical technical 

 deficiencies in diving equipment which currently restrict diver 

 effectiveness. These deficiencies generally become more serious 

 as diving depths increase. For example, the problem of maintain- 

 ing body heat increases as greater pressure collapses and helium 



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