Towcable 



The towcable, Rochester Corporation 9-H-347, which serves as a mechanical and elec- 

 trical link between the BIAS buoy and the submarine, is of the double armored type and 

 contains nine insulated conductors. Eight conductors are number 22 AWG and one is number 

 18 AWG. The cable is 0.347 inch in diameter and has a breaking strength of 9500 pounds. 

 The armor serves as a common ground for all the communication systems, measurement sys- 

 tem, and depth-keeping system. Three of the number 22 AWG conductors are designated for 

 use with the measurement system and depth-keeping system. These same three conductors 

 are used for the buoy operational measurement system when installed. The conductors and 

 armor are electrically terminated at the towstaff of the buoy by a twelve-pin Bendix Pigmy 

 male-chassis connector. A special interconnecting-cable harness between the towstaff and all 

 the BIAS buoy electronics was manufactured by Marsh and Marine of the Vector Cable 

 Company. Details of the harness and towcable conductor distributions are shown in 

 DTNSRDC Drawing C^32-3. The ship end of the towcable is terminated in ten each, one 

 conductor Marsh and Marine watertight leads. These leads are connected with mating wires 

 and are directed to a ten conductor slip-ring assembly, Superior Carbon Products, Inc., 

 Model 096103-SCP-8. 



The output of the assembly is cabled to a pressure-proof watertight bulkhead connector 

 to bring the conductors from the sea to the submarine interior. After passing through several 

 terminal blocks, three leads and a ground conductor are connected to the control unit of the 

 buoy evaluation measurement system. 



Shipboard Sensors 



The cable tension strain-gage assembly, manufactured by Oak Ridge, part number 2161, 

 is a 700-ohm strain-gage bridge mounted on a steel flexure with a range of to 10,000 

 pounds. This sensor is mounted on the towcable winch assembly and is subjected to the sea- 

 water and pressure environment. It is directly connected to the data center control unit. 



The fine cable-scope sensor is a 300-ohm, single-turn potentiometer (with no mechanical 

 stops), mechanically coupled to the towcable winch-drum shaft. One complete rotation of 

 the potentiometer is equivalent to approximately 75 feet of towcable. The sensor has no 

 mechanical stops so it is capable of sensing repeated 75-foot increments of towcable lengths. 

 This measurement is useful in fine adjustment or inching operations of the buoy towcable. 



The coarse cable scope sensor is a 300-ohm, 25-turn potentiometer, mechanically coupled 

 to the towcable winch-drum shaft. This sensor is used for measurement of the overall length 

 of towcable deployed. The fine and coarse scope potentiometers are electrically energized in 

 parallel producing two output signals and requiring only four conductors. These leads are 

 directly cabled to the data center control unit. 



17 



