Fathom’s Insight

To limit the scope of this book the following defines a manned submersible: A manned, non-combatant craft capable of independent operations on and under the water’s surface which has its own propulsion power and a means of direct viewing for the occupants who are embarked within a dry atmosphere.This definition precludes underwater habitants which have no independent means of propulsion, swimmer delivery vehicles which are not “dry” and diver support or delivery chambers which are tethered to the surface. By definition the tethered vehicles KUROSHIO II, GUPPY, and OPSUB should not be included, but here is another gray area. KUROSHIO II and its predecessor KUROSHIO I have been a part of submersible history since 1960; to omit them would serve no particular purpose and would deny their significant role in undersea exploration. Having made this exception GUPPY and OPSUB must be included by default.

Throughout these pages reference is made to the “Submersible System;” this system includes not only the submersible, but a ship or surface craft to support it and an apparatus for putting it in and taking it out of the water. Attention is drawn to Figure 1.1 wherein the submersible system is graphically portrayed beginning with its most basic component: The human. The importance of this “system” concept is dealt with in Chapter 2 and 12.

A Field in Flux

In a certain sense this section should be entitled “An Apology” because its message is to warn the reader that the vehicle descriptions in Chapter 4 are, to varying degrees inaccurate. There are two primary reasons for these inaccuracies:

1. Many of the vehicles are no longer in existence and both the participants and the records often are unavailable for authenticating what data is available, and
2. The dynamics of the submersible industry.

The first reason needs little else in the way of explanation, but the second requires elaboration.

Submersibles, like any other capital equipment, can change owners, and a new owner may change not only its design, but its name as well. For example, the 1970 Perry-built PC-9 (a Perry designation number) was originally christened Survey Sub I by its owners Brown and Root. In 1973, Taylor Diving Services acquired the vehicle and renamed it TS-1. Another Perry vehicle PC-2 was built in 1972 by Perry Submarine Builders for Access of Toronto and was later christened TUDLIK. In about 1973 the vehicle was transferred back to Perry in Florida and reverted back to PC-2. In 1974 it was purchased by Sub Sea Oil Services of Milan; its name has not yet changed, but this may soon happen. Artic Marine’s SEA OTTER was originally PAULO I and belonged to Anautics Inc. of San Diego. In 1974 it was purchased by Candive of Vancouver B.C. and subsequently leased on a long-term basis to Artic Marine which renamed it SEA OTTER. While upgrading its operating depth from 600 to 1,500 feet. In some instances the same owner may retain the vehicle, but it dives under a variety of aliases. For example Cousteau’s DIVING SAUCER is, to the French reader, LA SOUCOUPE PLONGEANTE (this name was also used at times in the U.S.), and in the course of its history it was occasionally called DENICE (after Cousteau’s wife), DS-2 and SP-300. In 1970 the same vehicle was upgraded in depth from 300 to 350 meters and became SP-250.

Such name changes have occurred with a number of vehicles, and produce a quandary concerning which one to use and what it is now. Strictly fro convenience, the names used herein are the ones with which the author is most familiar. The other aliases are given under “Remarks” in the individual listings in Chapter 4.

A change of owners generally produces a change in the vehicle. Mention was made of increasing the operating depth of SP-250 and SEA OTTER. This is only one source of error in any set of “current” descriptions. The original SURVEY SUB 1 or TS-1 had port and starboard vertical thrusters mounted amidships, the “new” TS-1 has shock absorbers where the vertical thrusters once were (they are now fore and aft). It also has increased life support duration, a different lift padeye, and an expanded suite of operating and surveying equipment. This is only one of many examples where the vehicle has changed by virtue of a new owner, new tasks of different operating philosophies. In regards to changing operating philosophies, the first five or six Perry vehicles used Baralyme as a carbon dioxide scrubbing chemical now Perry uses lithium hydroxide and has replaced the Baralyme in some other earlier vehicles with lithium hydroxide. In some cases almost the only thing remaining from the original vehicle is the pressure hull. AUGUSTE PICCARD, for example, is described herein as it was when first constructed. It is presently undergoing extensive modification for open-ocean surveying and except for the pressure hull and propulsion, will bear little resemblance to the original.

In other instances inaccuracies are introduced by virtue of changes occurring from the vehicle-as-constructed to the vehicle-as-operated; those changes can be substantial. The operating and design details of DEEP QUEST in Chapter 2 were originally obtained from a 1968 description of the vehicle. Mr. R. K. R. Worthington, DEEP QUEST’s Operating Manager, kindly reviewed this chapter and made numerous and critical changes to reflect DEEP QUEST as it now operates. Where a particular submersible has always operated for the same organization and under the same individual, such changes have been relatively easy to identify. But, when it has changed hands or the principals involved in the operations and readiness have been replaced (as is the case with the military submersibles), it is a research project in itself to ascertain the many modifications which have taken place on merely one vehicle.

In short, the descriptions and operating details of the submersibles herein reflect them at some time in their life - though every effort has been made to be as up-to-date as possible, Dimensional characteristics, such as length, height, width, weights, operating equipment,, safety devices, propulsion arrangements and other features are all subject change which, except for those vehicles no longer operating, is probably continuous. For a first approximation the descriptions are valid, but if precise details are desired, one should contact either the current operator or operating manager. In the course of the U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office’s submersible leasing program, it was quickly revealed (sometimes with chagrin) that the marketing arms of large corporations were quite often ignorant of changes to the vehicle which the operators performed.