[PSUBS-MAILIST] vacuum packed

[Jon Wallace]

To be fair, ABS did not require hatches to be operable from both sides 
when the K-boats were designed and I believe the requirement was only 
just adopted in 2010.  Modifying the hatch isn't terribly complicated 
but would require a bit more fabrication, possibly one or more 
thru-hulls with o-ring sealed shafts similar to the front motors.  The 
guys in Michigan have such hatches on their subs so they could help us 
in that design.  I think the important thing is not necessarily a 
universal design but any reasonable modification that worked without 
compromising the integrity of the pressure boundary.  For example, 
Alec's solution for snoopy which not only serves the safety purpose but 
I suspect makes it much easier to perform maintenance on the dome and 
ring than it was when the dome was sealed in place with sikaflex.

The problem with destructive solutions such as using a circular saw or 
sawz-all in the "field" is that the rescue tool itself can fail whether 
it be battery depletion before the rescue is effected or simply dropping 
the tool in the water and having it short out.  A sledge hammer might 
work eventually but depending upon water conditions, can you get the 
leverage and stance you need to lodge a destructive blow in a reasonable 
amount of time?

Jon