Underwater Vehicles The history of working in water

Photo courtesy of Robert Keith MAST 55 Why do people go underwater? Under the sea is a dangerous, hostile environment. • Humans can’t breath underwater • Cold • Pressure • Weather

The ocean is not always a nice place to work!

Photo courtesy of Robert Keith Why do people go underwater? • Profit – If you are willing and able to work in difficult terrain where others cannot work, you can make a bigger profit. • Discovery – Humans have a tendency to be curious and a desire to see and learn new things. • Military Advantage – Go where you enemy cannot see you and you have an advantage.

History of working underwater Ancient Greece: Greek Sponge Divers were the first recorded people to work in the underwater environment.

At first they didn’t have any special equipment.

New Technologies: Diving bell Air inside leather bladders

This tech wasn’t much, but it helped them to stay down longer and complete more work.

From Nautical Museum of Kalymnos Why did the Greeks go underwater? • Profit: They could acquire a product, sponges, that no one on land could get. • Discovery: Alexander the Great reportedly went underwater with a diving bell to look around. • Military advantage: The Greeks used sponge divers who could hold their breath to cut the anchor lines of enemy ships.

Why do you want to go underwater?

First recorded female undersea worker. Cyana and her father, Scyillis. 500 BC.

The need for technology

People found resources (profit) deeper in the oceans. Explorers wanted to explore further into the seas. Eventually they ran up against the limits of the human body. People are only built to go so deep.

So scientists and thinkers of the time developed technology to go deeper and deeper in the ocean.

Photos: Seabotix LBV, Video Ray, Phoenix International Bot

Early Military Submarines The Turtle The Brandtaucher The Hunley US Revolutionary War Prussian American Civil War Attacked British ship in Used to break a Danish Used to break the in New York harbor blockade blockade of Charleston, SC Human Powered Human Powered Human Powered (8 men) Unsuccessful Partially successful Mission successful Never returned

Photos Courtesy of Rick Cecchetti - Deep Submergence System Program Office at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

Early Modern Submarines US Navy Competition: 1887, 1888, 1893 Engineer: John Holland

On March 3, 1895, the US Navy contracted for the Plunger. On April 11, 1900, the navy accepted the Plunger and renamed it the USS John Holland. John Holland is considered the father of modern submarines. His company, the Electric Boat Company, is still in existence today.

Photos Courtesy of Rick Cecchetti World Wars Submarine technology advanced quickly during World War I and World War II. German U-boats (Unterseeboot) revolutionized modern undersea warfare. Was considered ‘ungentlemanly’ warfare, but it worked. Greatly curtailed shipping.

Technology: Mix of Diesel and Electric Battery Snorkel Torpedoes Sonar

USS Squalus / Sailfish German U-boat. www.theonion.com Modern Military Submarines New Technologies, Capabilities Nuclear Power: Human endurance, food stocks became the limiting factor.

Capabilities of modern military submarines: 1000 meters?

USS Nautilus (SSN-571) USS Salt Lake City

Picture courtesy of Rick Ceccetti www.usnavy/navydata Early Manned Vehicles Diving Bell Don Lethbridge’s Diving Engine – elongated, waterproofed barrel with arms extending out and a little viewing port Bathysphere ( deep sphere ) – Metal sphere with view ports. Did not move, simply hung from a cable that also provided electricity. Bathyscaph ( deep boat ) – Was not attached by a cable. A bathyscaph is an independent diving craft with its own buoyancy system.

Photos from NASA SEAWIFS

The Trieste First vehicle to the deepest part of the ocean. Mariana Trench - Challenger Deep. 10,900+ meters deep.

Designed by Auguste Piccard, a Swiss physicist

On January 23, 1960, piloted by Piccard’s son, Dr. Jacques Piccard, and US Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh, the Trieste made a historic dive to the Challenger Deep. Measured a depth of 10,916 meters (35,813 feet – almost 7 miles ). • Until 2012, Piccard and Walsh are the ONLY humans to have ever visited the Challenger Deep. • Two ROV’s, unmanned vehicles, the Japanese vehicle Kaiko, and the Nereus operated by Woods Hole, have also visited the area. • In 2012, James Cameron went back to the Challenger Deep.

The Trieste - Innovations

picture of Trieste

Photo from US Navy archive 1) Reinforced, spherical steel ball housed the occupants. 2) Buoyancy: 7 meter long, gasoline filled housing. 3) Detachable lead shot ballast, including a long steel chain. Early Atmospheric Diving Suits The early history of the Atmospheric Diving Suit ( ADS ) is the same as that of submersibles – getting people underwater. • Diving bells • Diving bells with operators protected, somewhat, against the water. - Salvage of the Swedish warship VASA Men in diving bells protected from the water by leather suits. • Hardhat Diving: A hardhat is the functional equivalent - of a diving bell. Hard hat is mobile, where the old style diving bells were not. Invention of the air pump revolutionized picture of suit this technology. Now divers could replenish their air supply.

History of Hardhat Diving • Don Lethbridge’s diving engine in 1715. Was trying a different approach to finding sunken treasure. • Klinger’s Dive Suit, 1797. Klinger’s Dive Suit • Air pumps began seeing underwater use in 1789, began by John Smeaton. Allowed fresh air to be pumped to diver. • More modern hardhat diving, with the standard underwater helmet, began in 1827. • This technology lasted for 150 years.

Courtesy of Drew Michel Divers vs ROV’s in the workplace • Divers (hardhat) was the method of choice, for underwater work up until the 1980’s. Through the 1980’s, ROV’s began to take over work that had previously been completed by human divers.

Advantages of an ROV: Didn’t get the bends Time on bottom Could venture deeper

- But there are still diving suits in use.

Modern ADS • Modern Atmospheric Dive Suit technology is derived from space technology. • And ADS is quite similar to a space suit worn by an astronaut. It is designed to withstand positive pressure instead of negative pressure. • The modern ADS works at 1 atmosphere internal pressure. No decompression. • Articulated pressure joints allow the operator to move arms and legs. • Operating depth: 600 meters (2000 ft) • Modern ADS are called Exosuits. ‘Exo’ means outer, and these suits are an outer protective skin worn to protect an operator from the environment. • New Exosuits include self propulsions systems. Operators no longer have to walk Nuytech Newtsuit along the bottom. Photo courtesy of Drew Michel

Early RCV (before they were called ROVs)

History of ROV’s • First remotely operated vehicle was constructed by Dimitri Rebikoff in 1953. - First variation was simply a torpedo that would tow a diver - In 1953, Rebikoff added a tether to control steering an a camera. - Named this device POODLE, and is considered the first ROV. • Many companies were started in the 1950’s and 1960’s. - Government cold war contracts prevalent. - Money dried up in the 1970’s, but that is when the oil boom began, and ROV’s really started to make an impact. • By the 1980’s, ROV’s were replacing divers as the means to accomplish work underwater.