36 - 



over this area to retain structural integrity after the instrument is 

 installed. The legs are welded onto the underside of the channel 

 such that they balance the cradle about its center when no 

 instrumentation is installed upon it. Onto the bottom of the forty 

 inch legs are welded 10 by 12 inch thin steel plates to reduce burial 

 into the seafloor. The cradle is secured to the bottom using 5/16 

 inch galvanized chain that attaches underneath each channel and 

 cinches tight with a chain binder to one of four screw anchors driven 

 into the seafloor. 



The instrument arms lay into the steel channel and the 

 fuselage slips into the center of the cradle. The arms are made fast 

 to the cradle with heavy electrical cable ties. The sevice box is 

 mounted onto the cradle by four titanium bolts secured through the 

 bottom of the box. Attaching plates and rings are welded throughout 

 the cradle for buoy markers, flotation devices, pingers, diver-assist 

 lines, and weights to balance the asymmetrically placed service box 

 if necessary. 



9. Biofouling and Corrosion Protection 



The cradle was sandblasted, primed, undercoated, and then 

 covered with anti-fouling paint. All surfaces of the plexiglass 

 service box and the PVC instrument structure (with the exception of 

 the fuselage end-cover plates) were sanded and also coated with 

 anti-fouling paint. The paint used was red PETIT BIOGUARD 1665 with 



