Fathom’s Insight

It would seem to be a relatively simple task to state what a vehicle’s status is - i.e., it is either operational or not operational. But, in reality, a vehicle’s status may be quite difficult to define accurately. ALUMINAUT is a typical example. It is now in storage in Florida and has not dived since 1969. This does not mean, however, that it cannot or will not dive again. If a sufficient profitable contract were to appear for ALUMINAUT, its owners probably would take it out of storage and put it to work. PC-38 or TECHDIVER is another example; it hasn’t dived for a number of years, but again, under the right financial climate, it undoubtedly could be induced to operate. Some of the shallow vehicles, such as the NAUTILETTE series, only dive in the summer months when the weather on the Great Lakes is amiable; in the winter they are in storage. A few vehicles are on display in museums or parks, others have been cannibalized to a point where they are now in bits and pieces and scattered in backyards. So, in some cases it is quite easy to place them in either the operating or non-operating category. Those vehicles not clearly in either category are classed as inactive. Specifically, the following definitions are used in this work:

• Operational:
  • Submarsibles which have been reported diving in 1974, including vehicles which are undergoing test and evaluation and those which are undergoing modifications preparatory to diving

• Inactive:
  • Submersibles which, within a 2- or 3-month period or less, can be made operational. ALUMINAUT, GUPPY, OPSUB, TECHDIVER are examples of this category.

• Non-Operational:
  • Submersibles that are incapable of operating with major refitting.