92 



3.2.4.b Hardware Recovery 



In many instances recovery of various components connected with tracking ranges 

 has been accomplished. One such instance, reported by Smith (1968) , involved 

 retrieval of the 317kg (700 lb) transponders from the San Clemente Island 

 range. Prior to this recovery all hardware recovered was "cooperative", 

 that is, they were equipped with 9 and 45 kHz pingers for CURV to home on. 

 These transponders were "uncooperative", in that they carried no pingers 

 and CURV located them by finding and following electric cables attached to 

 the units. A specially designed hook was attached to the transponders for 

 recovery. Significantly, in both instances CURV became entangled in the 

 lines after ejecting the hook and - reminiscent of the H-bomb recovery - it 

 was necessary to retrieve CURV and the ■ transponder together. 



Another incident involved CURV Ill's participation in recovery of a nuclear 

 generator (a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator or RTG) from 716m (2,350 ft) 

 of water west of San Diego. The operation is particularly interesting because 

 it typifies many of the problems encountered with both military and industrial 

 ROVs. Recovery attempts began in 1972. The first attempt was unsuccessful 

 for unspecified reasons. On the second attempt a surface buoy line severed 

 CURV's control cable. Since the vehicle is positively buoyant it floated to 

 the surface 14 hours later at almost the precise point ten miles south that 

 had been computed from prevailing sea currents. On a subsequent attempt both 

 hydraulic lines that open and close the vehicle's manipulators were broken 

 and required repair. On the next try the compass malfunctioned and caused 

 another aborted dive. Finally, the vehicle was able to attach a four-inch 

 braided hylon line to the RTG for eventual recovery. 



3.2.4.C Vehicle/Vessel Recovery 



Some of the more dramatic ROV tasks have been in the retrieval of manned sub- 

 mersibles. However, retrieval of other vessels and large-scale devices takes 

 place with far more regularity, but with less public attention. Examples 

 of these types of endeavors are given below. 



In 1978 the U.S. Navy's DEEP DRONE was dispatched to assist in salvaging a 13m 

 (41 ft) Coast Guard boat off the coast of Oregon. The boat rested in 96m 

 (315 ft) of water and the weather was severe during the duration of the 

 operation. DEEP DRONE's task was to attach an 18cm (7 in.) hawser to the craft 

 so that it could be retrieved by the surface. Surface conditions were so 

 rough that a launch/retrieval scheme involving 4.5m (15 ft) outriggers had 

 to be fabricated on the scene that would hold DEEP DRONE away from the support 

 ship to prevent it from colliding with its support ship when being lowered 

 or lifted to and from the water. 



Rescue of personnel from stricken submarines is another area in which the Navy 

 has employed an ROV, but only in a simulation mode. For shallow water rescue 

 a McCann Chamber would normally be employed. The chamber is positively buoyant 

 and winches itself down to the submarine by reeling in an escape hatch cable 

 which is released on a buoy from the submarine. In the event that the buoy 

 is not released or has failed to deploy the haul-down cable, alternate means 

 must be employed, e.g., divers, manned submersibles. In October 1977 the Navy's 

 DEEP DRONE demonstrated the capability to perform this wire rope attachment 

 function. 



