INTRODUCTION 



This report on the recovery of the Deep Research Vehicle (DRV) ALVIN has been pre- 

 pared to provide a permanent record of the salvage operations, emphasizing the techniques 

 developed and the lessons learned. Basically, the concept for this recovery operation was 

 simple. However, it must be remembered that the recovery of an object of this size from a 

 depth in excess of 5,000 feet had never been accomplished previously. Planning and execut- 

 ing such an operation required flexibility and the development of alternative approaches to 

 each phase. 



The execution of certain elements of this operation involved complex techniques and 

 operational factors such as: 



Lift ship selection 



Submersible selection 



Lift device design 



Precision navigating and positioning 



Attachment of lifting line to ALVIN 



Long line lift from great depth 



Submerged tow techniques. 



Additionally, the success of any operational plan was to some extent dependent upon fa- 

 vorable weather conditions. 



The main body of this report is a chronological narrative of the salvage operation. 

 Supporting data have been included in Appendices A through I. Photographs and diagrams 

 have been used throughout to support descriptions and details of the salvage operation. 



BACKGROUND 



During October 1968, a task force consisting of the catamaran Research Vessel (R/V) 

 LULU, with ALVIN aboard, and the R/V GOSNOLD departed Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 

 for at-sea operations. 



On 16 October 1968, ALVIN, with her three-man crew, was being launched from LULU 

 to make a routine inspection of buoy moorings off the coast of Cape Cod. The moorings 



