1. The salvage value of this highly successful submersible would far exceed the antici- 

 pated cost of any recovery operation. 



2. While such a recovery was considered within the state-of-the-art, no recovery of an 

 object this size from such great depths had ever been achieved. A practical deep ocean op- 

 eration such as this could prove the technologies and techniques involved and reveal any 

 deficiencies. 



3. Studies conducted subsequent to the recovery would provide otherwise unobtain- 

 able information on materials behavior in a deep ocean environment. 



S FORMULATION OF SALVAGE PLANS 



LOCATING OF ALVIN 



On 10 June 1969, ALVIN was found and photographed by a towed sled of the USNS 

 MIZAR (T-AGOR-11), a research vessel operated by the Military Sea Transportation Service 

 for the Naval Research Laboratory. The location of ALVIN was determined as latitude 

 39°52.2' N and longitude 69°1 1.5' W, approximately 88 miles southeast of Nantucket Island 

 and 135 miles from Woods Hole-. (Refer to Appendix A, figure A-1.) 



ALVIN was found to be upright with her bow down about 10° to 15°, resting in approx- 

 imately 2 to 3 feet of soft, silty mud. The sail hatch was open (figure 2), but it was not pos- 

 sible to determine from the photographs that were taken if the pressure sphere hatch was open. 

 The pressure sphere hatch, which was spring loaded to remain open and restrained by elastic 

 cord, had been open when ALVIN went down; it was probable, therefore, that it was still 

 open unless the force of impact with the bottom caused it to close. Except for the stern pro- 

 peller and shroud, torn loose by contact with LULU at the time of the casualty, ALVIN ap- 

 peared to be intact. 



BASIC SALVAGE CONSIDERATIONS 



After location of ALVIN by MIZAR, conferences were conducted during June and 

 July 1969 to formulate salvage plans. Representatives from the Office of the Supervisor of 

 Salvage, U.S. Navy (SUPSALV); Office of Naval Research (ONR); Naval Material Command 

 (NAVMAT); Naval Ship Systems Command (NAVSHIPS); Naval Ship Engineering Center 

 (NAVSEC); Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI); and Ocean Systems, Inc. (OSI) 

 met to review numerous recovery plans and to determine which was best suited for the ALVIN 



