AN EXPERIMENTAL 45-DAY UNDERSEA SATURATION DIVE AT 205 FEET. SEALAB 2 PROJECT GROUP
Abstract
The Sealab II operation was conducted between Aug. 28 to Oct. 14, 1965, 300 ft off Scripps Pier at La Jolla, California, in a depth of water of 205 ft. Using a synthetic breathing gas of helium, oxygen, and nitrogen, each of the three aquanaut teams lived under pressure approximately 15 days in an ocean-floor habitat, making forays into the 48F, 5 to 30 ft visibility bottom waters for periods ranging from a few minutes to an extended dive of 3 hours. Excursion no-decompression dives to 266 ft and 300 ft were accomplished. Diving from the habitat was accomplished using both semiclosed-circuit breathing apparatus and hookah (habitat-connected-hose) breathing apparatus. A decompression complex new to the Navy consisting of a personnel transfer capsule mating with a deck decompression chamber was used for accomplishing recovery and decompression of aquanauts. Sealab II demonstrated that: (1) The concept of ocean-floor habitation to accomplish a wide range of salvage and scientific tasks is compatible with man's ability to perform useful work at these depths. (2) No significant short-time physiological changes occur which resulted in deterioration of the aquanauts physical condition. (3) There is a degradation of human performance which increases with the complexity of the task being accomplished.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 08, 1967
- Accession Number
- AD0652374
Entities
People
- D. C. Pauli
- G. P. Clapper
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research