746 
Sore 
When the gear was recovered to the lead weight and the connecting barrel 
supporting it, these were brought aboard and the connecting barrel was led 
forward to its usual position on the deck of the vessel, The electrical 
cables were fastened around the stern of the vessel and up the port side 
high up in the rigging to kcep them out of the way of further operations. 
The rope recovery line strung from the connection barrel to the point 20 ft 
forward from the second piezoelectric-gauge pair was then brought in by 
means of the gypsy head. Simultaneously the stcel spacer cable (to whicn 
the two piezoelectric-gauge pairs farthest from the charge were attached) 
was pulled in by hand and placed in its proper position on the deck. In 
turn the second connection barrel was brought aboard and placed in its posi- 
tion on the deck, and then the remainder of the spacer cable with the two 
piczoelectric-gauge pairs nearest to the charge was brought aboard. Except 
for any damage caused by the explosion, the geat was in a position ready to 
go overboard for the succecding shot, 
With the forward half of the gear retrievcd the vessel picked up the 
after half of the gear. During weather of good visibilitv the after half 
was easily found, particularly since the occan currents were well known by 
the master of the vessel, If the visibility was bad, or if it was after 
dark, special precautions had to be taken. In some cases a man put overboard 
in a dory immediately after the firing of the charge attached the dory to 
one of the surface floats of the stern half of the gear. When the vessel 
was ready to pick up the stern half of the gear, he signalled his position 
by means of a fog horn, or a light if visibility permitted. Another scheme 
was to attach a small flag (or light, if after dark) to a mast on the sea 
anchor ball before it was put overboard. This usually permitted easy loca- 
tion if visibility was good. 
In retrieving the stern part of the gear the sea anchor ball was first 
picked up and the anchor spilled by a special line. The sea anchor was 
brought aboard and then the line running forward from the sca anchor weight 
to the sternmost gauge block was pulled in. The sternmost gauge block was 
lifted aboard and then the second gauge block and momentum gauges with their 
respective surface buoys. All of this gear was placed in its proper posi- 
tion on the deck ready for the next shot. 
The ball-crusher, Modugno, and momentum or Hilliar gauges were removed 
from the rig and taken to the mechanical gauge cabin for servicing in pre- 
paration for the succeeding shot. The diapmragm gauges were serviced in the 
composite blocks on the deck, Any repairs to this part of the gear or re= 
placements of surface floats damaged during the explosion were made at this 
time. 
(ii) After a misfire. When the charge had not fired succcssfylly the 
recovery of the gear was much more difficult. In these cascs, a period of 
about one hour was allowed to clapse before recovery was attempted, to be 
surd that the misfire was not a hangfire which could have exploded after 
some time had elapsed. The gear was then brought ahoard in roughly the re- 
verse order in which it went out. Since the distances between gauge blocks 
and between gauge blocks and the charge were less than the depth at which 
