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Dan and Sean,
Perhaps if a given PSUB is going to
always have a support boat and crew, then you should have your own
air lines with what ever connector you like best. As well as a number of
full SCUBA tanks and/or oil-less high pressure air compressor that can run off a
generator, or has it's own generator to run it on the support boat. This
way whether you have a SCUBA diver on your crew, or one comes from a local
rescue team, your ready to go. You would of course need to stay in water
that isn't deeper then your available air lines as well as a depth that your
support crew diver or/a local rescue team diver is trained and equipped to dive
to.
For the air line, I was thinking of an
easy to use pneumatic tool type air hose called Flexeel. I use them in
building construction as well as in the shop, and I wouldn't go without
them. You can have allot of length in a small amount of space, and it
works very well in cold weather. You then could use a standard pneumatic tool
connector you like, that you don't think would freeze up. Of course having both
the fresh air line and the exhaust air line on a easy to use spool assembly will
make things run more smoothly. Both lines can also be zip tied together every so
many feet to make the operation that much easier. Having both ends of the lines
clearly marked with a label and/or color to tell them apart will also help.
Also it would be important to have the
air lines pressurized to above the pressure where the sub is located before you
send the lines down, or they will likely collapse at some point. So the
air lines must be rated for pressure which is above the max depth you plan to
dive. Having a backup set of lines available would be good if you have trouble
or brake the first set of lines used or are forced to go at an angle down to the
sub. Keeping a relative position directly above a sub you can't see, can be very
hard to do, especially if there is some wind to deal with.
Perhaps there can also be a small ROV
that can be built to go down and attach the lines, so you can go down to greater
depths then allot of SCUBA divers can or want to go to. It's not always
very fun to SCUBA dive in freezing water. Having a locator beacon on the sub and
a water proof detector to go with the support crew will greatly help your crew
to locate the sub at first and then later it will aid in helping the diver find
the sub in murky waters.
Regards,
Brent
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2008 11:18
PM
Subject: Re: [!! SPAM] Re:
[PSUBS-MAILIST] PSUB Rescue Efforts Proposal
I have used both pillow bags, open and closed circuit standard
"teardrop" bags, and special purpose bags for vehicle recovery, etc.,
and have never seen a tire valve used. The closest thing - a
Schrader
valve on a closed-circuit lift bag intended for the recreational
diving
market, used a fitting identical to a SCUBA buoyancy compensator or
drysuit inflator connection, only without the locking feature. The
difficulty with any of these things is that the restriction is so small
that they inevitably ice up if used continuously for longer than a few
seconds. I can only see this problem being worse in fresh
water.
-Sean
Dan. H. wrote:
> Jay and
others,
>
> I'm mainly a lake diver where the first to
respond to me would most
> likely be a dive rescue team, not the coast
guard of navy. For that
> reason I haven't ruled out the Schrader
type tie stem valve.
>
> The dive rescue teams here work
closely with the fire and rescue
> people. Most, if not all, dive
rescue teams are actually connected
> with fire and rescue. The
fire and rescue folks use heavy pillow type
> air bags for lifting
heavy objects and the dive rescue uses balloon
> type lift bags for
lifting in water. They both use "tire stem type"
>
connecters. Our dive rescue divers are all equipped with a hose for
> discharging pressurized air to fill these bags. I'll ask around
to
> determine in how wide of an area this is standard. I'm
guessing it's
> VERY standard since that type of TIRE stem connection
is the same
> world wide. Maybe there will need to be more then
one standard,
> depending on the waters your diving in.
>
> When I go out with my sub, I always have a tool box that stays with
> the surface guys. That's where I keep adapters, instructions
>
and things for emergencies. In most cases, it's your own surface
> support that will be getting the help for you and they should
> have anything that's needed.
>
> For a sub stuck
on the bottom, bleeding down built up pressure in a
> hull is far
harder then injecting in air. To avoid over pressure on
> the way
up, the hatch could be unlatched and let the pressure burp out
> when
the sub rises enough, but as Jay points out, it would have to be
> a
controlled assent. If lift bags were used, the assent could be
>
controlled by the length of the rope that attaches the bags. For my
> sub, my surface support knows that my hatch viewport can be loosened
> to vent or unbolted to gain access.
>
> What it
comes down to is, most of how a rescue would go will be
> determines by
how well the rescuers know your sub and how well they do
> what is
needed. For lake divers like myself, the best protection is
> the
information and things you have in your topside tool kit.
> Most
fresh water dive rescue people have never seen a Psub and don't
> know
first thing about one. Unfortunately, the best qualified rescue
>
person for any particular sub, is most likely the person trapped
inside.
>
> Jay, I'll get back with you in a few days
about what I find as
> standards here in fresh water. I'll
contact the rescue teams in the
> areas I dive.
>
>
Dan H.
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