The Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle

The Deep Submergence Systems Project was undertaken after the Thresher disaster to review the Navy's work in the following four areas-Man-in-the-Sea; large object salvage system; deep ocean search, investigation, and small object recovery; and submarine location, escape, and rescue system.

Of prime importance in this program is the development of the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) which is the key element of the submarine rescue system. The system will provide a world-wide capability of rescuing personnel down to collapse depth of a U. S. Navy submarine.

Two basic requirements for the rescue system are rapid response time and capability to rescue under ice. Design requirements for the system as well as details of the major subsystems are given in this paper.