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Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] retrieval devices



Thanks, Phil. I hadn't thought about the Spectra being quite that strong, but I like the idea immensely. My weighted-latching thoughts were more related to HBOI than anything. We didn't fool with it in Europe because in the good old days, somebody was always working fairly close by and we could whistle up another sub and be on the surface before the coffee got cold. Self-rescue for the psubs, however.....well, everybody ought to, plain and simple.

As to Gamma, I'm headed out to sunny California next week to beard the Privitt lion in his den. Mostly I'll be begging for blueprints, but he has some other ideas, as well. Hull repairs are the primary issue. I'll forward you a couple of pictures shortly so you can see the....um.....problem. Suggestions, ideas, general commentary and sarcasm will be greatly appreciated.

I'll tell you one thing, though. I'd just about forgotten how many bits and pieces there are. Especially with a one-man sub crew.

Vance



-----Original Message-----
From: Phil Nuytten <phil@philnuytten.com>
To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org
Sent: Sun, Aug 29, 2010 2:56 pm
Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] retrieval devices

'Allo Monsieur Nekton!
Yep, the retrieval rig was spring-loaded and was heavily weighted (not shown in the sketch) so that the spacer block was knocked out when the tongs contacted the winch drum. This was one set-up tailored to a specific sub - I used it as an example of how it it possible to effect rescue of a gas-diving bell that has a severed or broken load/lift line, which was the subject of the paper. The winch/messenger line and down-line tongs were much before Plasma or Spectra fibers (1970's) - today, you'd simply send up a syntactic float attached to a Spectra line capable of lifting the whole dissub. We (Nuytco) have made a numberof such devices - most recently on a major conversion of the Hawkes 'Aviator' for 'Sub Aviator Systems Inc. ( This was a conversion from a positively-buoyant-only 'flying' sub to one which had variable ballast, vertical thrusters, etc., and can either fly positive or stop and smell the roses - or anything in-between!)
One of the people involved with SAS is an ex-nuke captain (Fred McLaren) and he jumped on our suggestion of a self-rescue system. I believe the ultimate is a combination of a fixed syntactic float and a fairly large inflatable bladder with its own independant gas supply (in case ballast air is kaput and that's the reason for going dissub) The buoy and bladder have a pull-pin arrangement operated from the sub cabin - first you try to lift yourself to the surface by inflating the bladder (which is, essentially, a large lift bag) while it is still attached to the reel/sub WITHOUT pulling the pin. If that doesn't lift you to the surface, THEN pull the pin and send the buoy with it's signalling device to the surface and await rescue.
This is the system we'll use on the new  'Orcasub' (a full redesign of a flight-capable sub which also has all the capabilities of a conventional variable ballast sub). There's a good article on diving the modified 'Aviator' (now called 'Super-Aviator') in a back issue of 'DIVER' magazine - it also has a cut-away of 'Orcasub and a treatise on the concept of 'flying submarines' with various patent drawings which go back to the turn of the century! Also check out the Sub Aviator Systems website.
Phil
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, August 29, 2010 8:45 AM
Subject: [PSUBS-MAILIST] retrieval devices

Frank,

The two-pronged hook for Phil's arrangement has an inner radius and looks like it might be spring loaded. When it hits the lift ring (or wire choker or whatever) the spacer is knocked loose and the jaws close. Under load they should be self locking, which seems like a good thing.

The male latch pin on the HBOI is also a positive lock. It rattles down into the release funnel and once dropped into place, the spring loaded ears latch the unit into a lift ring. Once you've got the sub, then you've got the sub, period. It won't under any normal circumstance pull loose.

Vance