SITE SELECTION 



133 



Fig. 71. The three sites considered for Sealab II. Point A - first site picked, 

 later deemed unsatisfactory due to great amount of silt. Point B - investigated 

 as possible site, but slopes up to 45° made it unsatisfactory. Point C - final 

 site selected. The site was covered with three to four inches of silt, and the 

 slope was no more than 10°. 



The specific area for emplacement of the Sealab was selected on the basis of detailed bot- 

 tom soundings made by the Marine Physical Laboratory of Scripps Institution of Oceanography. 

 Figure 71 is a bottom contour chart based on these soundings. The valley area (point A on 

 Fig. 71) or its immediate surrounding area was deemed to be satisfactory from oceanographic 

 and excursion-diving considerations. Preliminary dives on the site were made in April 1965, 

 and the general area was accepted as satisfactory by the steering committee. Dives at point A, 

 however, indicated that the valley contained a great amount of deposited silt, and to avoid the 

 difficulties of settlement, swimming, etc., the final site would have to be either on the side of a 

 hill or further up the valley. 



The surface-support vessel was positioned over point B, Fig. 71, on Aug. 18, and explora- 

 tory dives were begun. However, the dives showed that the terrain was more precipitous than 

 the charts indicated, with inclinations up to 45 degrees. The visibility was quite poor, only 10 

 to 20 ft. The site was considered unacceptable and would, if utilized, require considerable 

 wash-out leveling operations and thus jeopardize the project. 



