RE: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Launched Persistence!

["Pierre Poulin" <pipo305@hotmail.com>]

Congrats Dan! Very nice account!

I'm looking forward to see the pictures!!!

Pierre



> From: "Dan H." <jmachine@adelphia.net>
> Reply-To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org
> To: <personal_submersibles@psubs.org>
> Subject: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Launched Persistence!
> Date: Tue, 8 Jun 2004 09:45:24 -0400
>
> Persistence is now official!
>
> The following is a LONG account of launch day.
>
> We launched Sunday June sixth.  What an occasion!  I never though it would 
> draw such a crowd.  I know there were over a hundred people there, and 
> maybe another hundred through out the three hour we were diving and 
> maneuvering in the water.  We served hotdogs and snack food to maybe every 
> second person.  We brought four cases of soft drink, two cases of snack 
> food packs and a hundred hotdogs.  We came home empty handed.  A little 
> yellow sub in a lake sure attracts some attention.   Many of the people 
> there were people that had a hand in on some aspect of the project over the 
> years of construction and some were just long time friends.  One special 
> guest was my "just in case" rescue dive and fellow PSUBS'er, Al Secore.   
> He was kind enough to bring his underwater cameras and shot some pics and 
> footage in the "pea soup" water.
>
> The weather wasn't sunny but at least it didn't rain as it has for the two 
> days before.  It would have been better if the water was clearer though.  
> Visibility was about two feet.  I couldn't see the front of the sub from 
> the pilots seat.
>
> At home we packed up and headed to the launch site with food and a grill in 
> tools in the back of the truck and the sub following on it's trailer.  The 
> launch site is only about six miles from home in a State park lake.  It was 
> chosen for it's close proximity and the nice park setting for the people 
> that wanted to see the launch.
>
> I cleared the launch with the park officials two weeks earlier.  They were 
> very accommodating.  Truth be told, I think they were quite excited that I 
> chose them for the launch site.  When we arrived at the park I was 
> surprised to be confronted with a four page lawyer written document.  It 
> was a release to clear the park, the state, the rangers, and probably even 
> the governor if something goes wrong.  OK!  If I have to.  One surprise 
> though, was the requirement that I have a rescue diver present.  I guess 
> they didn't have the same confidence in my little yellow toy that I did.  A 
> rescue diver was discussed early on, but it wasn't a requirement, now it 
> was.  It sure was comforting to know our own PSUBS, Al Secore, was in 
> route, with diving equipment and cameras.  I signed and that was that.
>
> After all gather had a "look see" at the sub on the trailer, including 
> climbing up on the fenders to see inside, we moved into position for a 
> group picture.  It was a BIG group, so getting everyone together for a 
> picture wasn't easy.  It looked like a yellow billboard. We all wore yellow 
> T-shirts I had printed up for the occasion and stood in front of the yellow 
> sub.  After that we repositioned the trailer again on the ramp and started 
> the launch procedure.
>
> My trailer has a 19 foot tongue extension which requires the trailer to be 
> disconnected from the truck and then rehooked with the extension in place 
> between the truck and the trailer.  The trailer converts to a five wheel 
> cart with a nineteen foot pipe to push and pull it with.  Just before it 
> was ready to start into the water, my nephew handed me a bottle of bubbly 
> to bash on the bow as we christened the sub "Persistence."   As submarines 
> go, it's small so it was tiny bottle.  Since we were in a State Park where 
> alcohol wasn't permitted, the bubbly was only tonic water.  I waked the 
> tiny plastic bottle on the hull a few times and then opened it and pored it 
> out on the bow.  It fizzed like champagne and the crowd cheered.
>
> By this time Al Secore was there and suited up.  The rangers, the lawyers 
> and the governor could now rest easy.
>
> It was now my turn for a test of nerves.  With fake champagne still 
> dripping from the bow, I clamed up and into Persistence.  The trailer was 
> then backed down the ramp and into the water.  After I climbed in, I stood 
> in the conning tower and reaching out where I unlatched the bar holding 
> Persistence to the trailer.  Once I could feel the sub floating I released 
> the bar from the sub and Persistence and I were on our own.  I did have 
> communication with the shore through a walkie talkie.  It worked well even 
> though there was no outside antenna.
>
> It was time to make waves.  I flipped the rear thruster into reverse and 
> taped the power switch.  Persistence backed away from the trailer.  Next I 
> tried the side thrusters and used them to turn around.  The fine tuning I 
> did on the props the week before reduced their bite in the water.  They now 
> matched the thruster motors better and kept the motor current below 
> maximum.
>
> With the sub away from the launch ramp about a hundred feet or so, I closed 
> the hatch and secured it.  Things get real quite in the sub when the hatch 
> is closed. I couldn't hear any of the hundred people watching from shore or 
> anything else outside the sub.  It gives you a feeling that confirms, 
> they're out there and I'm in here.
>
> I started releasing air from the forward and aft MBT's.  Persistence was 
> slowly lowering in the water.  As the MBT's filled with water the sub 
> pitched forward then back some giving me quite a ride as it lowered.  The 
> pitching was fifteen degrease forward then fifteen degrease to the aft.  
> Some of the pitching was my fault since I now realize that I was over 
> correcting by closing and opening the MBT vent valves to balance them off.  
> At one point I was worried that if the free weights on the floor of the sub 
> slid to one end, I'd be in trouble either nose up or down.  As the conning 
> tower lowered into the water deeper, the pitching settled out.   I was 
> still in contact with the shore by walkie talkie.
>
> Seeing the pea green water rise over the outside of the conning tower view 
> ports was another psychological hurdle.  By now the people on shore were 
> both out of hearing and out of sight.  I knew they could still see the top 
> of the conning tower but I couldn't see them.  Air was still venting from 
> both my MBT's.  It kept venting as I saw the water slosh over the top of 
> the view port in the hatch cover.  I was officially underwater and going 
> down.  I still had air in the MBT's but shut the vents off so I didn't get 
> heavier then I already was.
>
> I knew I was in only ten feet of water but it seemed that I was dropping 
> fast and for a long time.  Communication with the walkie talkies was lost 
> once Persistence was under about six inches of water.  All the while I was 
> going down it was getting darker and darker.  I did mention the "Pea Soup" 
> water, didn't I?  I felt a very gentle thud as Persistence came to rest on 
> the bottom.  I have to admit, my hart was pounding at that point.  I know, 
> I know!  Only ten feet of water meant that if I stood on top of the conning 
> tower I could stick my head above the surface.  But I was IN the sub, 
> remember?
>
> I didn't even release all the air from the MBT's and I was already on the 
> bottom.  I knew I had to remove some of the lead ballast to set neutral 
> buoyancy with the VBT.  Ok I thought, the five seconds that felt like five 
> minuets I've been down here is enough time to count as a dive.  I shot a 
> few short blasts of air into the MBT's and started rising.  It was getting 
> noticeably lighter again as I neared the surface.  I popped a few more 
> bursts of air into the MBT's and could now see out above the water lowering 
> past my viewport.  I was back on top and it was a comfort to know.  It was 
> comforting for two reasons.  One, that I could get back up, and two, that 
> the gathered crowd saw what they thought was a perfect dive.  What did they 
> know?  It went down and came back up!
>
> The sub pitched for and aft again while blowing the MBT's but rested smooth 
> once they reached full empty.  I radioed with the walkie talkie that I was 
> coming in to drop some ballast.  OK, was the first words I heard since 
> leaving the surface.  I motored in toward the dock and unlatched the hatch. 
>  As I opened it and stuck my head out the gathered crowd was clapping and 
> yelling.  I thought to myself, I did it!  I got through this launch thing 
> successfully even though I knew I had to shed some weight.  It really felt 
> good to hear the crowd cheer though.  Most of them knew how long I worked 
> to make this moment happen.
>
> We unloaded forty pounds of lead ballast and I dove again.  This time was a 
> repeat of the first dive, only now I KNEW Persistence could come back up.  
> After the second dive I also came back in and handed out another forty 
> pounds of lead.
>
> On the third dive the MBT's vented all their air and I could still see the 
> sky through the hatch cover view port.  I opened the VBT vent and water 
> valve, waited a few seconds and I once again saw water over me.  I played 
> around with blowing and adding VBT ballast until I was neutral buoyant.  
> Persistence just sat there a bit below the surface.  With a short burst of 
> the thruster pointing upward I popped up and another short burst in reverse 
> sent me down.  Hey, this is fun!
>
> I did about ten dives the rest of the day.  They were all in relatively 
> shallow water, eight to seventeen feet.  Two of them were with passengers, 
> the two guys that were most involved in the project with me.  My nephew and 
> a good friend.  Both loved the experience but were disappointed with the 
> poor visibility.  Next time I'll try somewhere with clear water.
>
> Throughout the afternoon I got better diving and surfacing.  I reduced the 
> tendency of the sub to pitch when operating the MBT's.  I was over 
> correcting at first.  The only hitch was an intermittent short in a wire 
> coming from one side thruster that kept blowing fuses.  I knew I crimped 
> the cable while it was on a rack for painting but couldn't see the damage.  
> I'll have to work on that.  It was relatively easy to maneuver with the 
> rear thruster and one side thruster though.  If I didn't have the rear 
> thruster, I would have been in trouble just traveling in circles.
>
> The day ended with a near perfect landing on the deck of the trailer where 
> I reached out of the conning tower and grabbed the holding bar and then 
> latched it to the top of Persistence's hull.  Next we were both toed out of 
> the water.
>
> As usual there are a few little changes and additions to be done.  I need a 
> shelf to rest a flashlight and the walkie talkie on for starters.  But 
> other then some little things like that, Captain George Kittredge designed 
> a pretty good little boat.  He also was very accommodating anytime I 
> contacted him through my building process.  I met the Captain twenty years 
> in the past and again two years ago.  He's quite a remarkable guy.
>
> Again, I want to give a big thanks to Al Secore for coming down from New 
> York to be my rescue diver and photographer.  I know he took a bunch of 
> pictures.  Every time I saw a flash go off underwater, I thought I blew 
> another fuse.  If the water was clearer, we would have some great pics.  I 
> know we'll have some good ones to post anyway.
>
> Also thanks to Ray and all you PSUBers that helped me along with the 
> project.  The web site was a major factor in Persistence becoming a 
> reality.
>
> Thanks, Dan H.

_________________________________________________________________
MSN Search, le moteur de recherche qui pense comme vous !  
http://fr.ca.search.msn.com/




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