—Facilities for deep operating weapons and explo- capability is approximately 1,000 feet. A sectional 
sives testing. 
—Hyperbaric seawater aquaria to handle organisms 
which live only at the deepest depths. 
—Small hyperbaric tanks for capture, transfer, and 
examination of specimens inhabiting the depths. 
—Facilities for calibrating, testing, and evaluating 
oceanographic instrumentation systems. 
B. Hyperbaric Facilities 
1. Current Situation 
The term hyperbaric facility generally is applied 
to a man-rated pressure chamber complex in- 
tended primarily for experimental studies of hu- 
man behavior and physiology under increased 
ambient pressures. Such facilities have been used 
for therapy and for commercial and military diver 
training. Categories of man-rated chamber uses 
include: 
—Medical and Experimental 
(1) Human physiological research 
(2) Clinical medicine 
(3) Medical therapy = 
(4) Biology, especially marine biology 
—Swimmer and Diver Development 
(1) Physiology, including decompression table 
development 
(2) Equipment development, test, and evalua- 
tion 
(3) Mission training and development 
—Saturation Diver Work Systems Support 
(1) Oil and mineral 
(2) Salvage and construction 
(3) Rescue and medical treatment 
(4) Military 
The Navy currently has hyperbaric chambers at 
the Naval Medical Research Institute, Bethesda, 
Maryland, and at the Washington, D.C., Navy Yard 
Annex. The latter houses both the Experimental 
Diving Unit (EDU) and the Naval School for Deep 
Sea Divers, each having hyperbaric complexes 
consisting of four connected pressure chambers. 
An outer lock, an inner lock, and an igloo are on 
one level, a diving tank below. Depth simulation 
view of the arrangement is shown in Figure 27. 
IGLOO > 
RECOMPRESSION CHAMBER 
Sa INNER LOCK OUTER LOCK > 
\ 4 
Figure 27. Diving facilities at U.S. Navy Ex- 
perimental Diving Unit and Naval School for 
Deep Sea Divers. (Navy drawing) 
The diving tank can be filled to a depth of 
approximately eight feet. A similar facility is 
planned for the Naval Submarine Medical Center, 
New London, Connecticut. The complex at the 
Medical Research Institute, being uprated to a 
1,000-foot capability, has a wet tank depth capa- 
bility of only three feet. 
The 2,000-foot hyperbaric facility being de- 
signed for the Navy Mine Defense Laboratory, 
Panama City, Florida (Figure 28), when completed 
will be the largest, deepest, and most complete 
facility of its kind in the world. One end of the 
MTT 
Figure 28. Proposed multipurpose pressure fa- 
cility at Navy Mine Defense Laboratory. (Navy 
drawing) 
VI-79 
