Assistance by submersibles probably will be 
needed. 
Portable Continental Shelf Laboratories capable 
of operation at any depth to 2,000 feet should be 
developed during the coming decade. Each such 
station should be equipped for submerged trans- 
port vehicles to convey crew members or supplies 
to and from the surface or nearby shores. Crew 
size will vary greatly and will be dictated by the 
mission. 
Specialized subsea power equipment will be 
required analogous to drills, cranes, bulldozers, 
pavement layers and concrete pourers used on 
land. Their ability to be mounted on a family of 
standardized, remotely controlled, power-driven 
chassis would increase their versatility. When an 
operator is required at the work location, the 
assembly might well be designed for temporary 
attachment of a small portable operator’s capsule 
or a small submersible vehicle. 
Assembly and fabrication of an underwater 
complex completely under water may be required 
when the entire structure is too cumbersome on 
the surface or the components are of a configura- 
tion that can be assembled only in place. Regard- 
less of depth, the operation will require carefully 
planned evolution of an integrated system includ- 
ing surface vessels, pontoons, submersibles, divers, 
monitoring equipment, and automatic controls. 
All underwater work operations will require 
coordinated development in many basic engineer- 
ing and component areas. Soil mechanics and 
foundation design are clearly essential, as are data 
on the interaction of waves and currents on the 
installation. Underwater power sources, equip- 
ment, and tools adequate for the tasks must be 
developed. Accurate means of locating and posi- 
tioning the installation must be available. Visual 
observation, television, acoustic imaging equip- 
ment, and command and communications systems 
will be essential. Improved materials are a basic 
requirement for reliable long-life installations. 
It is predicted that within 10 years all segments 
of the economy—industrial, academic, military, 
and civil government—will be managing selected 
portions of the U.S. Continental Shelves and 
conducting exploration operations in the deep sea. 
Immediate capability, convenience, cost, and 
potential productivity dictate that initial activity 
be concentrated on the continental shelves. 
3. Conclusions 
It is now technologically possible to utilize the 
continental shelves in view of the progress and 
development of the past several years. The experi- 
ence of working on the shelf should provide 
solutions to subsequent problems of utilizing the 
deep oceans. 
Several ambient pressure, continental shelf hab- 
itats have been demonstrated in recent years, 
however, these have been temporary installations 
depending on cables to surface ships or shore 
installations for power. Technical advances during 
the next 10 years will permit autonomous manned 
stations on the ocean floor. 
Present habitats and concepts for the future 
have three main features in common: 
—They can maintain the diver at or near the 
ambient pressure at the worksite for extended 
periods. 
—The habitat (or an elevator-like chamber inter- 
facing with it) is capable of bringing divers to the 
surface for decompression. 
—The chamber at the underwater worksite has at 
least one bottom hatch from which divers can 
enter the water and return. 
Tunneling in soft and hard ground under the 
water is feasible and can be aided greatly by 
manned underwater support. 
Recommendations: 
Pursue the National Projects to develop and 
construct Fixed and Portable Continental Shelf 
Laboratories; Seamount, Slope, and Abyssal Sta- 
tions; and Mobile Undersea Support Laboratories 
as well as other forms of undersea habitats during 
the 1970's. 
D. Transportation and Harbor Development 
The present U.S. commercial oceanborne cargo 
trade ($36 billion annually) will continue to have a 
major impact on programs to extend ocean uses. 
This, moreover, should continue as the value of 
the U.S. world trade should more than double in 
the next 20 years. 
The impact of maritime transportation on U.S. 
national interests is a product of underlying 
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