10 76-242/09 



vehicles are mainly involved in fisheries 

 research. The OSA- 3-600, owned and operated 

 by the National Institute of Sea Fisheries 

 and Oceanography, has been used in fisheries 

 research, for example, to hover over a 

 school of fish and transmit data on the 

 extent, location, and speed of movement of 

 the school. It is also capable of taking 

 core samples from the ocean bottom for 

 later analysis by petroleum scientists. The 

 unmanned tethered vehicle, SKORPENA (also 

 operated by this Institute) , is reportedly 



utilized in oceanographic and biological 

 research on illumines cence and biolumines- 

 cence. The SEVER 2, operated by the Polar 

 Institute of Fish and Oceanography, is re- 

 portedly operating in the North Atlantic, 

 looking for schools of fish, studying the 

 sea bottom, and selecting areas for trawl 

 fishing. In the Black Sea, most of the 

 Soviet activities originate from their base 

 at Gelendzhik. A good reference for inform- 

 ation on Soviet undersea vehicle activities 

 is presented in reference (9) . 



Coral harvesting off Taiwan is conducted 

 using BUEKHOLDER I, and red coral harvesting 

 near Corsica is conducted using ANTONIO 

 MAGLIUOLO. 



The most active vehicle noted in the 

 survey was the HAKUYO, owned by Japan Ocean 

 Systems, Inc., that reportedly made 624 

 dives in 45 days. 



MISSION APPLICATIONS 



The preceding section described many mission 

 applications suitable for undersea vehicle 

 usage, mainly with the offshore industry. 

 Undersea vehicles play an important role in 

 the offshore industry's undersea installa- 

 tion of: offshore structures, sub-sea oil 

 completion systems, pipelines and cables. 

 Vehicles are used for: preinstallation 

 surveys; diver transport and assistance 

 during installation of structures and pipe- 

 lines; cable burial; post installation 

 inspection; and pipeline and cable repair 

 work. In view of the extensive network of 

 offshore platforms, sub-sea completion 

 systems and pipelines, the security of these 

 facilities will bring on new mission require- 

 ments. As the offshore industry goes deeper 

 the need for vehicles becomes even greater. 

 A study ^■^•^) by Vickers Oceanics Ltd, indi- 

 cates that from a cost-effectiveness stand- 

 point, the cross-over point between utiliz- 

 ing a diver with Scuba versus a manned 



submersible is about 150 meters, based upon 

 environmental conditions. The development 

 of the atmospheric diving suit, which in 

 reality is a manned submersible, may bridge 

 this area. Pipelines are being planned for 

 depths greater than 3000 feet, and there 

 are international rulings that require pipe- 

 line installations to be readily repairable. 

 To address this type of need, Hydrotech Sys- 

 tems of Houston, Texas, is developing the 

 50-ton unmanned tethered WORK VEHICLE, and 

 a 60-ton unmanned tethered VERTICAL TRANS- 

 PORT VEHICLE: and the Shell Development Co., 

 Houston, TX, designed a 300-ton Submersible 

 Pipeline Repair System (SPRS) , Figure 20. 



Coral harvesting is expected to continue and 

 perhaps expand as new areas are found. Geo- 

 logical missions, such as the microscale 

 examination and selective sampling of the 

 deep-ocean rift zone of the Mid-Atlantic 

 Ridge, conducted by France and the U.S. in 

 Project FAMOUS, is another example of 

 effective use of undersea vehicles. Deep- 

 ocean seismic studies of rift and fault 

 areas, and geophysical exploration for oil 

 and gas deposits, are other areas of useful 

 application. Studies of this type under ice 

 are planned by Horton Maritime Exploration 

 Ltd, for utilization of their recently over- 

 hauled AUGUSTE PICCARD. 



In fisheries application, there is much to 

 be done in management and assessment of 

 stocks. The undersea vehicle was proven 

 useful in getting more selective data on 

 fish stocks for correlation with gross data 

 obtained by trawling. Lobster habitation 

 studies along the northeast seaboard, con- 

 ducted using vehicles, revealed flat, barren 

 plains that have potential for lobster 

 development, but are void of habitats. 

 Studies of such areas deploying artificial 

 habitats might prove useful. Deployment of 

 lobster at various stages of development, 

 including fry, might give some indication of 

 survival and development in a controlled 

 area, barren, but conducive to lobster 

 development. 



Underutilized species of fish and crab at 

 depths in excess of 600 feet might be sur- 

 veyed and assessed as sources of food or 

 feed stock. Studies of the deep ocean food 

 chain continue and much data are still 

 needed to better understand this process. 



In environmental research, vehicles are most 

 useful in surveying and selective sampling 



