386 



SALVAGE TESTS 



„ ,. Mixing 



No22le,5x| OD(f ID) chamber 



Gun 



Controller 



operated by trigger 



Check valves 



Manuolly operoted 



i hose- 



solvent valve 



Strainer 



Stondpipe 



y) Regulator 

 Nitrogen 



{ 



--I hose 



Strainer 



Safety 

 ^^ valve 



Nitrogen 



Standpipe - 



Safety 

 valve 



-IE 



Nitrogen 

 Catalyst 



Note. Valves on ^ hoses normally open A-52779 



Fig. 145. Schematic diagram of Sealab II foam-in-place equipment 



removed. The hulk was made heavy with cement ballast, and a series of holes was placed in 

 the fuselage. A circle was painted around each hole to guide the diver. Each hole was marked 

 with a "time-in-minutes to foam," based on the volume of the compartment and the expected 

 foaming rate. The hole times varied from two minutes to 18 minutes. 



In addition to the aircraft hulk, nine empty ordinary 55-gallon oil drums were prepared with 

 cement anchors and placed on the bottom. The drums were to be foamed and raised, singly, 

 over a period of several weeks, in order to study the amount and rate of water absorption (i.e., 

 loss of buoyancy) by the foam. 



The technical aspects of the FIS project are reported in detail in the final Foam-in-Salvage 

 Report submitted by the Murphy -Pacific Marine Salvage Company, (Final Technical Report- 

 Contract Nobs 4909 dated 7 May 1965), and will not be discussed here in detail. It will suf- 

 fice to say that the chemical formulation of the foam used in the Sealab II Salvage Project 

 was less than optimum. Additional testing and formulation was indicated and has, since Sea- 

 lab n, been undertaken by Murphy-Pacific and BuShips. 



Notwithstanding the less-than-optimum foam, it must be concluded that the Sealab II FIS 

 project was quite successful in demonstrating the feasibility of such a salvage system. One of 

 the key features of the project was the demonstration of a system which required a considerable 

 degree of coordination between the divers on the bottom, handling the foam gun and applying the 

 buoyancy, and the surface -support ship (Gear) with its source of bulk chemicals and mixing and 

 hose delivery apparatus. The total lack of diver -to -surface communications was particularly 

 difficult to cope with. An adequate diver-to-surface communication system would be an essen- 

 tial requirement in an FIS operation of any magnitude. 



Sealab II divers experienced no difficulty in handling foam guns and hoses; nor was there 

 any difficulty in inserting the gun barrel into the prepared holes in the aircraft hulk, or into the 

 oil drums (Fig. 146). Gun application (triggering and flushing) presented no problem (Fig. 146). 

 These evolutions were easily learned in one preliminary session before Team 3 was developed. 

 The evolutions were easily executed until the diver became overtaken by cold. 



