crew, (iv) the rapport among team crew members, (v) communication 

 equipment available, (vi) the climatic conditions (rain, temperature, 

 winds), and (vii) harbor conditions (waves, currents, tide). Each 

 of these factors was felt to be important enough to cause up to a 

 two- to three- fold variation in time required to complete any task. 



In viev; of the many variables listed above, and the necessity 

 of prior coordination with other departments on a Navy base to ensure 

 timely availability of a ramp, a crane, fuel, and tools and other 

 equipment, it was decided not to attempt to "beat the clock" in tests 

 in which a stopwatch was used to determine the time required to complete 

 a task. The crew was allowed to work at its normal pace, and 

 additional help was made available whenever the crew felt it needed 

 more men to complete a task. This approach was felt to be appropriate 

 to simulate normal manpov/er behavior on a Navy base. 



Additionally, it must be kept in mind that all tests were 

 performed under near-perfect weather conditions of the Port Hueneme 

 harbor. On most test days, there were hardly any winds or waves, and 

 all tests were conducted under bright sunshine conditions. In real 

 life, first, the weather is usually not so obliging and, second, oil 

 spills are likely to occur more often when the weather is adverse. 

 Therefore, the time required to perform a task may take several times 

 longer than the time reported here for the same task. 



Although accuracy of all measurements of time was +^0.2 second, 

 therefore allowing data to be given in fractions of a minute, the 

 usefulness of such accuracy in evaluating utility equipment is very 

 limited in view of the numerous uncontrollable variables discussed 

 above. For the same reason, no attempt was made to determine the 

 absolute minimum number of people required to complete a task. For 

 instance, six people were used for boom deployment from the FTB. 

 It is possible to complete this task with fewer people, as in reference 

 8, but it would take a longer period of time. 



In view of the above variables , the utility equipment evaluation 

 involved subjective decisions on manpower and time required to perform 

 a task. All of the factors mentioned earlier will affect manpower 

 required to complete a task, time required to complete a task, or 

 both. 



This report is divided into several sections, according to the 

 equipment under evaluation. However, both UTBs and the FTB were used 

 in most tests and, therefore, observations and comments on the UTBs 

 and the FTB are based upon their performance during the tests in which 

 they were used. 



Evaluation of the Power Assistance Unit 



Modifications 



The PAU developed by Murphy Pacific Marine and Salvage Company 

 under a CEL contract was felt to be deficient in two ways : (1) the 



