10 76-242/10 



of dumps ites to determine the extent and 

 fate of pollutants and impact on marine life, 

 Undersea vehicles can effectively assist in 

 baseline studies where periodic selective 

 sampling on, near, and below the bottom 

 layers is required over a wide area. 



Deep-ocean mining will require the use of 

 manned or unmanned systems for location, 

 survey, and assessment of manganese modules 

 as well as for selective sampling and meas- 

 urement pertaining to environmental research 

 in baseline-impact studies. With the excep- 

 tion of the two bathyscaphes, the U.S. 

 Trieste II, and France's Archimede, there 

 are no other manned systems capable of parti- 

 cipating in deep-ocean mining from 12,000 to 

 20,000 feet. Plans have been made for 

 modifying the U.S. Navy's Sea Cliff for 

 20,000 feet. However, there are at least 

 six unmanned systems that are capable of 

 operating at these depths. 



Undersea film making on archeological find- 

 ings, sunken cities, and lakes in Scotland 

 are the mission plans of Margen Intema- 

 cional, S. A. 's MARGENAUT, refurbished 

 former SUBMANAUT, Figure 21. 



DESIGN TRENDS 



Undersea vehicles are being utilized more, 

 now that experience has proven their utility 

 and systems are designed in 

 accordance with user requirements. A major 

 trend pertains to designing a completely 

 integrated system, which, in addition to 

 the submersible includes support ship, 

 handling gear for launch and retrieval, and 

 logistic and maintenance support. The ob- 

 jective is to obtain an effective, high 

 utilization rate under varying weather 

 conditions. Equipment for conducting effi- 

 cient deep-water surveys will require the 

 use of improved navigation and guidance 

 systems at costs affordable by submersible 

 owners. Greater dexterity of manipulators 

 will be needed for manned and unmanned sys- 

 tems to perform intricate operations more 

 quickly. Many new vehicles are being 

 developed with large panoramic plexiglass 

 windows to provide a wider viewing field 

 very effective in survey and inspection 

 missions. Trays of dry batteries mounted 



in cylindrical pods , external to the 

 pressure hull, with quick access for ser- 

 vicing and replacement and rapid turn- 

 around time, is another notable design trend 



A number of compact, unmanned vehicles have 

 been built for search and rescue of manned 

 vehicles. In those operating areas where 

 other manned vehicles are not close at hand, 

 more unmanned systems are expected to be 

 available for use in such emergencies, to 

 locate and attach a recover line. Harbor 

 Branch Foundation's Sea Guardian System, 

 consisting of support craft and the cable- 

 operated Recovery Device (CORD) , is an 

 example of such a system. Figure 22. 



Within the last year, a number of designs 

 for small submarine-type systems have 

 emerged to provide fully autonomous, long- 

 duration, capability for missions such as: 

 pipeline and cable inspections; installa- 

 tion and repair; selective drilling; sub- 

 bottom profiling and sampling. These 

 systems also feature diver lock-out capa- 

 bilities which provide even more opera- 

 tional flexibility. Their general utility, 

 as mobile undersea laboratories in support 

 of commercial diving and scientific 

 research, provides another major applica- 

 tion. These systems would not require a 

 surface vessel, and would operate independ- 

 ently for several weeks, with surface 

 cruising ranges on the order of 3000 

 nautical miles. In view of expanding 

 mission requirements, construction of the 

 first of this class system is expected to 

 start within the next year or so. 



CONCLUSIONS 



Within the last five years, undersea 

 vehicles have proven to be a significant 

 tool in ocean research and development, and 

 their abundance and utilization is steadily 

 increasing. 



The offshore industry is the principal user, 

 and there are many other mission applica- 

 tions that will require more extensive 

 usage. The latest designs feature fully 

 integrated systems (vehicle, ship, handling 

 gear, and logistics and maintenance support) 

 to ensure an effective high utilization rate 



