146 • Marine Minerals: Exploring Our New Ocean Frontier 



Table 4-6.— Federally Owned and Operated Submersibles 



Date Operating Power Crew/ Manipulators/ Speed (kts) 



Vessel built Length (ft) depth supply observers viewports cruise/max 



UNOLS 



Alvin 1964 25 12,000 Battery 1/2 1/4 1/2 



NOAA 



Pisces V 1973 20 4,900 Battery 1/2 2/3 0.5/2 



NAVY 



Sea Cliff 1968 26 20,000 Battery 2/1 2/5 0.5/2.5 



Turtle 1968 26 10,000 Battery 2/1 2/5 0.5/2.5 



NR-1 1969 136 — Nuclear 71— — — 



SOURCE: Busby Associates, Inc., Arlington, VA. 



Endurance (hrs) 

 cruise/max 



6/2 



8/2 

 8/2 



1. tethered, free-swimming vehicles (the most 

 common); 



2. towed vehicles; 



3. bottom crawling vehicles; 



4. structurally-reliant vehicles; and 



5. autonomous or untethered vehicles. 



For exploring the EEZ, two types of ROVs ap- 

 pear most appropriate: tethered, free-swimming ve- 

 hicles and towed vehicles (table 4-7). A typical 

 tethered, free-swimming ROV system is shown in 

 figure 4-12. Typically, vehicles of this type carry 

 one or more closed-circuit television cameras, lights, 

 and, depending on their size, a variety of tools and 

 monitoring/measuring instrumentation. Almost all 

 of them receive electrical power from a surface sup- 

 port vessel and can maneuver in all directions using 

 onboard thrusters. 



Towed vehicles are connected by a cable to a sur- 

 face ship. Most often these vehicles carry television 

 cameras and still cameras. Lateral movement is 



Photo credit: Office of Undersea Research. NOAA 



The Submersible Alvin and the Atlantis II. Alvin is an 



untethered, battery-powered manned submersible 



capable of operating in 13,000 feet of water. 



Table 4-7.— U.S. Government Supported ROVs 



Type Depth (ft) Operator 



Tethered free-swimming: 



Mini Rover 328 U.S. Navy 



ADI^OV 1,000 U.S. Navy 



Mini Rover MK II 1 ,200 NOAA 



Pluto 1,300 U.S. Navy 



Snoopy (2) 1,500 U.S. Navy 



Recon IV (4) 1,500 U.S. Navy 



Curv II (2) 2,500 U.S. Navy 



URS-1 3,000 U.S. Navy 



Super Scorpio (2) 4,900 U.S. Navy 



Deep Drone 5,400 U.S. Navy 



Cun/ III 10,000 U.S. Navy 



Towed: 



Mania 2,100 NOAA, NMFS 



Teleprobe 20,000 U.S. Navy 



Deep Tow 20,000 Scripps 



Argo/Jason 20,000 Woods Hole 



ANGUS 20,000 Woods Hole 



Katz Fish 2,500 Lamont-Doherty 



STSS 20,000 U.S. Navy 



Untetliered: 



Eave East 150 University of New Hampshire 



Eave West 200 U.S. Navy 



SPURV 1 1 2,000 University of Washington 



SPURV II 5,000 University of Washington 



UFSS 1,500 U.S. Navy 



SOURCE: Busby Associates, Inc., Arlington. Virginia. 



generally attained by maneuvering the towing ves- 

 sel, and depth is controlled by reeling in or reeling 

 out cable from the surface. These vehicles are de- 

 signed to operate within the water column and not 

 on the bottom, but some have been designed and 

 equipped to periodically scoop sediment samples 

 from the bottom. 



Advantages and Limitations 



Manned submersibles, particularly in the indus- 

 trial arena, have gradually given way to ROVs. 

 The relatively few manned vehicles that have re- 

 mained in service have done so because they offer 

 a unique capability which ROVs have yet to dupli- 



