NOAA's Undersea Research Center at the University of North Carolina Wilmington
Project Summary: 2005–06–03

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2005 Project Summaries

Project Summary for 2005–06–03: U.S.N. saturation school

The goal of this second year project is to again furnish United States Navy diving saturation school graduates an opportunity to participate in underwater diving activities in a setting intended to simulate saturation diving procedures related to the Navy’s use of a “flyaway saturation system”. There will be two five–day missions to accommodate as many saturation school participants as possible. Each of the five–day dives will have four Navy divers and two NURC habitat techs. All diving from the habitat will be umbilical diving with MK 21 helmets, with the wet porch serving as an analog to a saturation diving bell. No scuba excursions are planned for either of these missions.

Some of the specific goals and objectives considered were:

• To develop and expand upon existing cooperative efforts between the United States Navy and the NOAA Undersea Research Center/University of North Carolina Wilmington, specifically with use of the Aquarius habitat.
• To determine ways in which the respective programs might better interface with each other to exchange advice and assistance on new procedures, equipment, technologies, or other factors that lead to enhanced safety of diving operations.
• To assist NURC in initiating end of season preventative maintenance and securing the habitat for winter lay up prior to commencement of 2006 mission season.

More information about the diving protocols being developed for the Advanced Seal Delivery System, using the ’88 NURP–funded REPEX tables, is available at the U.S. Navy's Office of Information.

© 2003 All Rights Reserved | | maintained by Aaron Alexander (alexandera@uncw.edu)