Re: Blue water White Death

[Subscuba@aol.com]

Thanks Phil,

Do you know if Stan is still around? I was under the impression that the cage 
depth control was better than you indicated. The system you described does 
sound reliable which is nice. It wouldn't be very useful if the sub was 
moving. I was thinking more along the lines of a depth control such that I 
could make decompression stops by setting the depth control to hold me at the 
right depth.

I considered a depth control based on the toilet float idea and can see how 
it would sense depth. I think what you suggested was to make the float 
control the level in a ballast tank. If I did that such that the valve would 
let air into the ballast tank that would stop the descent (automatic add?). 
If the sub ascended then what? Any way I've been thinking about this for a 
while and haven't come up with any simple technique. Most of what I've come 
up with involves a variable ballast tank with a pump and feedback system. 
That's more complex than I want. Stability of such a system would be 
interesting.

I also see that the Andrea Doria is still killing divers.

Ken Martindale 

In a message dated 8/2/99 12:30:56 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
72020.572@compuserve.com writes:

<< Hi, Ken:
         'BW,WD' was produced by the late Peter Gimbel ( Gimbel's - New
 York) same guy that did the Andea Doria stuff  . . .I was pretty heavily
 involved in the Doria stuff since we built the Diving bell/chamber system
 used in the film - try Andrea Doria search to get the name of Gimbel's
 production company for BWWD. The principle photographer on the BWWD shoot
 was Stan Waterman . . .he may remember an automatic depth holding system
 but I doubt it . . .The system I recall was a simple, manual, soft ballast
 system - with a couple of surface floats to limit the downward excursion.
 You blow ballast to surface and flood tanks to sink to the end of the float
 lines which are pre-set.
         An automatic add system for constant depth is very simple to build
 ( Toilet float prinicple!!) but my recollection is that such a system was
 not used in BWWD. I have ( for our museum collection) one of the shark
 cages that Al Giddings used in several of his shark extravaganzas and it is
 fitted out with a simple soft ballast system. Hope this helps.
 
 Regards
 Phil Nuytten
  >>