Submarine Rescue: History, Experiences and the Equipment
24 November 2010 North of England Branch Evening Meeting
Chairman Jon Greenwood, Engineering Skills Manager, IHC Engineering Business
Sponsored by IHC Merwede
Presentations
Submarine Escape And Rescue - Accidents and Capability Through the Ages & International Cooperation
Cdr Dickie Burston, Dickie Burston Associates Ltd
Submarines are designed to dive but not sink. But, since the earliest days of underwater warfare a combination of natural and man-made accidents have resulted in the loss of some 300 boats in peacetime and 1700 submariners have lost their lives; indeed negligence on behalf of designers, builders, maintainers and operators has also often been a major factor. From 1774 to Kursk in 2000, the ‘Authorities’ have always been conscious of a need to provide some method of saving life in the event of a sunken submarine. Capabilities have evolved over the years and this presentation looked at the history of peacetime accidents, the early days of escape and rescue, modern rescue systems and the significant value of international cooperation that is prevalent today. Operational use and design aspects of launch and recovery and rescue from a pressurised submarine were also covered, leading naturally into the rescue vehicles themselves.
Submarine Rescue Vehicles
Donald Faulds, Business Development Manager, Perry Slingsby Systems Ltd
In 2003 Perry Slingsby simultaneously won the contracts to supply submarine rescue vehicles for NATO and China. While Perry Slingsby had a history of building compact submarines from the early 70s, the new orders demanded a clean sheet approach. Rescue Submarines, although superficially similar to military ones have different design objectives. For example, they have the ability to pitch and roll at extreme angles and can hover in one place. They also have normal operating depths greater than the crush survival of most military submarines – in fact, at 610m, the NATO submarine is the deepest diving rescue system in the world. The presentation gave an overview of the projects from the initiation of design until the final acceptance dives offshore. Both systems are in service.