ABSTRACT 



On 16 October 1968, the Deep Research Vehicle ALVIN was lost 

 in 5,051 feet of water off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. At 

 the time of her loss, ALVIN, owned by the U.S. Navy and operated as 

 an item of Government Furnished Equipment by Woods HoIeOceano- 

 graphic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, had successfully com- 

 pleted 307 dives since being put into operation in 1964. ALVIN gained 

 international fame in 1966 when she located and helped retrieve a hy- 

 drogen weapon lost off the coast of Spain. This 15-ton, 23-foot 

 manned submersible, representing a 1.5 million dollar investment, is one 

 of the few Deep Research Vehicles capable of 6,000-foot diving depths. 

 These factors were important considerations in the decision to recover 

 her. Although the basic operational plan for her salvage was considered 

 feasible, recovery attempts in October and November of 1968 were un- 

 successful due mainly to unfavorable weather conditions. The recovery 

 of ALVIN was postponed until August 1969, when weather was more 

 favorable. ALVIN was successfully raised on 1 September 1969. 



This was a unique operation since recovery of objects of this size 

 from this depth had never been accomplished previously. The recovery 

 of ALVIN represents a major step forward in the Navy's ability to con- 

 duct deep ocean engineering operations. The success of this salvage op- 

 eration, which was under the direction of Lieutenant Commander 

 William I. Milwee, Jr., USN, assigned from the Office of the Supervisor 

 of Salvage, U.S. Navy, is attributable to the careful and thorough plan- 

 ning and preparation by all activities involved. 



