Support systems should be an integral part of 
submersible systems development. First priority 
should be given to a submarine support system 
that is itself a continental shelf work system and 
can handle deep submersibles in a totally sub- 
merged mode. A National Project for a Mobile 
Undersea Support Laboratory should be developed 
within five years. Support systems are needed for a 
variety of purposes including supply terminal and 
logistic functions, power, and life support regen- 
eration. A prototype submerged harbor facility 
compatible with submarine support ships should 
be constructed within 10 years. 
The panel is pleased to note current Navy 
studies on new combatant submarines and their 
roles. The panel endorses in concept the programs 
and funding levels recommended by the Deep 
Submergence-Ocean Engineering Program Planning 
Group. 
The programs recommended by the study 
group combined with those recommended by this 
panel are intended to be responsive to the national 
need. 
Cooperative efforts are imperative between the 
naval and civilian technology groups to determine 
how programs of mutual interest are undertaken 
and to facilitate the very important function of 
technology transfer. 
The panel believes that the national interest is 
best served by having a strong technological 
capability in both sectors. 
All possible encouragement is given to the Navy 
to increase its subsurface capabilities to operate 
anytime, anywhere, and at any depth. 
B. Deep Ocean Installations 
Undersea installations, portable and fixed, will 
have a variety of purposes. Nearterm tasks will 
include understanding the environment, surveil- 
lance, testing, and exploration of living and non- 
living resources. Future uses may include territo- 
rial protection, undersea command and control, 
missile and submarine basing, industrial processing, 
and power generating stations. Characteristics of 
underwater observatories or laboratories will de- 
pend on surface, water column, and sea floor 
conditions. 
Plants, stations, and bases must be compatible 
with operational constraints. For example, petro- 
leum recovery installations will differ from solid 
VI-92 
mineral extraction, sea food production, and 
underwater transportation facilities. 
However, environmental constraints establish 
many common technological needs. Of basic im- 
portance to site selection, construction, and em- 
placement operations are underwater soil mechan- 
ics, terrain features, and bottom currents. There 
are common needs to develop power sources, 
distribution systems, materials, viewing systems, 
communication equipment, life support systems, 
and waste management and contaminant control 
systems. The fabrication, emplacement, assembly, 
inspection, maintenance, operation, ingress/egress, 
and repair of undersea installations will place 
severe demands on the entire spectrum of undersea 
technology. 
Technology for underwater installations will 
result in part from extended current marine 
technology on mobile undersea vehicles, terrestrial 
civil engineering, and classic naval architecture. In 
addition there will be new design, analysis, and 
building techniques acquired from studies of pro- 
totype installations and component and subsystem 
experiments conducted in relatively large test 
facilities. 
The capability to utilize the continental shelf 
and deep ocean areas continuously may assist in 
preserving future rights of access to ocean depths. 
The recognized U.S. 3 mile limit of the territorial 
seas and the disputed 12 mile limit claimed by 
several nations comprise the only areas that 
currently can be occupied legally. 
It is possible that international law will extend 
the territorial sea concept seaward and allow areas 
adjacent to bottom-oriented activities in the deep 
oceans to be occupied legally. Availability of 
technology and capability to operate in ocean 
bottom areas will encourage utilization of under- 
sea resources and will complement mobile capabili- 
ties described in the previous section on undersea 
systems. 
Within 10 years, all segments of the economy— 
industrial, academic, and government—may have 
undersea installations on the continental shelves, 
and short-time visiting will occur on the slopes, 
seamounts, and in deep sea areas. Because of 
immediate capability and convenience, initial ac- 
tivity will concentrate on the shelves. However, a 
vigorous decade of technology development will 
permit use of selected deep ocean areas for 
commercial or military operations. 
