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rio APPROVED FOR RELEA,E 'WCR.KING ?/:.lif.:::l, DESJio0Y 

'DECLASSIFIED BV: C/IART OR CONTRO' BY 

DECLASSIFIED ON: 25 JULY 2012 • '" 

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OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY DIVISION 

OPTO-MECHANICAL DESIGN ENGINEERING 

Memorandum ME 53. 

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TO: Distribution . 

L.B. Mola~key i" 

DATE: ,Se'pteuiber I, 1971, 

FROM: 

SUBJECT: Trip Report - Visit to San Diego Re: Recovery of RV #3 

PURPOSE: 

The purpose of thiS trip was to coordinate the fabrf.cation of the 

underwater recovery hook with the Navy and to outl ine the tasks and responsibilities for the recovery operation. 

A'rl'ENDEES: . 

RESULTS: 

" -

L. MOlaskey - SSC 

,HQS 

,SPO 

., 

the NSvy has agreed to assume the responsibility for the 

:':. 

of the hook using the SSC design. Completion o~the hardware 1.a scheduled for 

14 September 1971. An in-air and 'at sea test progTam is planned starting 16 ' 

September and, concluding about 1 October at the test site about 60 miles west 

of San Diego in the Pacific Ocean. lbe Trieste, after completing the 'test 

program, will be towed directly to the recovery site some 350 'miles off of 

Hawaii. 

The search vessel is scheduled to return from its last assignment, to 

Seattle, Washington before the end of· this week. It will be outfitted there 

and will embark in about a week for the recovery site. It is scheduled to start 

'the search on I October but is curTentIy running about two days behiocl schedule." 

The Trieste will rendezvous with the search vessel on about the 18th 

of October to conmence the recovery operation. As sc:heduled, one dive can be ' 

made every three days. It is expected that' the operation will be complete by 

1 NoVember. . 

DISCUSSION OF DETAILS: 

lbe first meeting, after an introductory meeting with the c~nding 

officer of Submarine Development, <;roup One Captain . was held in . 

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DECLASSIFIED ON: 25 .JULY 201~R CONTROL BY :tJ.- ' 

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Memoramum. ME 53 (Continued) ·September I ,,1911 

the group conference room with the foll,owingattenc:\ees: 

I • 

Cd~. Brad Mooney 

L. Cdr. Ron Doyle . 

L. Cdr. Rich Anderson -

Lt. Dick Taylor 

Chief Staff Officer CSDG-I ' 

Sub Dev. Group One Staff 

Sub Dev. Group One Staff 

Trieste Pilot 

Others 

. L.B.Molaskey SSC 

- HQS, 

SPO 

rovideda briefing on the details of the recovery task 

describing ,shape ,weight, etc. ()f'thepayl~oad and some of the back- .. 

ground with regard tot~e effort performed ,to date. . ". " 

L. Cdr. Anderson reviewed the Navy's effort to date and outluied the 

schedule requi~ements for deploymEint of the Trieste and search ship. 

, 'L.B. Mo~askey presen:ted a s~ry of the' recovery techniques which' 

have been considered to date resulting in the primary method embodied in the, 

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recovery hook design presented. lbe Diodel of the prime recoVery hardware was . , , 

reviewed and demonstrated and it was agreed by all parties that the hook dea1gn 

and method of recovery proposed was probably the optimuB approach. ' 

'!'he discussion which followed centered upon the means for fabricating 

and testing the hardware for the selected approach. In sUllll8rY, the Navy,agreed 

to assume responsibility for fabricating the required hardware in conformance 

witll the SSC design. However j several minor design modifications warerecOlilmended. lbey are: 

1. Rotate the cocking' mechanism 900 with respect to the .llook "open" 

. direction so as to shorten the reach r!!quirements, for the manipulator. 

2. EUminate the main spring-and provide coUnterweight mouDting 

points for attaching lead weights which provide the same closing moment as the 

proposed spring. 

3. Eliminate the bottom baron the basket which preeents a relatively 

long area for penetrating the mud on the ocean bottom. Replace this member with 

a bar, similar to the circumferential members, except that it 18 oriented in a ' 
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Nilo APPROVED FOR RELEASE 

DECLASSIFIED BY: CllAIlT 

r~ DECLASSIFIED ON: 25 JULY 2012 

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WORKING PAPER, DESTROY' 

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:::1:15:0 (::t::d~ arms. -3- ·SOP_~l' Ul1 ff11 

:::y~~~~~~~:~~~~~~~;~;~~~~:~~~;~~~e ... ·;I(!i 9-1~71 initiated the effort· required to mitlui the .above drawing cbang •• >. ~.~ 

SPO reported that they had started, fabrication of a special shipping' <:,:::',>, .. 

container for return of the payload to the despool1ng facUity. A telecoilto •. :>;{) ";~ .••. ~.' 

Lt. Col. Hillock in request of the actual dimensions of the hardware, howe~r" .,,:,.,,', .. 

revealed that there was no design in process. HQSj therefore" requested that .' ';:::':' ':'.:~ 

~:g-~~~~fn~~;~~_r::~:P~1-~~:~::E: .:::t~~Yto~~:,~ The detail steps to be performed by therecowl'Y team Were 'discussed ~::;:~:;k,,:,~'~~ ltwes concluded that the most practical method(jf recovery was to use ,thehook~~J}':,:"';::,lJ , 

as proposed by SSC. The dive will eithe~. be scheduled to bring the payloadto:::,,'<Y";' >~,~ 

the surface after dark or if need be I the Trieste will be maintained at a very,':",:';':,';; 

deep (safe from a light exposure standpoint) level until after 'dark~ Contrary ;>,:<,'~0~~';;f~%l 

to previous reports the payload will be suspended approximately 60 feet below : .... ';;~;~1:;:~ ;.·:'.'t~ 

the water surface during the transfer from the<Trietlte to the support.lh:l.p. .; ,,> '::$ 

Th:l.sconstraint is due to the fact tMt the .total cable length on theTr1e~te' s:; ~:::~. ;.p 

winch is only 75 feet a8 compared to theeadier ·repotted length of 120+ :feet. .i,:~t,~ ,~~ The "after dark II recovery, however I eliminate. the need ,to provide a ligbt .hr~' .:,,;', "'J! 

and simplifies the hardware reqUirements considerably. . , ' :ji 

The matter of protecting the payload f~om fung~growth hal not been .• ':. ' .. ,.:,'.:.:~,~,~.::,.: .•. :,.,;:'. 

solved by the addition of a fungicide because of the uncertainty of the p08sible: ,~~ 

l~ng term damage potential of adding untested chemicals to the water. 1he J;'esult .,' :,~~;; 

is either to maintain the payload, after recovery, at.a temperature below 40°F or 

to 1imit the time at temperatures higher than 40° to a minimum. The approach ' 

selected as the most practical wa8 a combination of both of the ahove. '!'he Air' .' 

Force is arranging to transfer tnepayload from the recovery vellel. suppOrt ship, ' 

. to an Air Force operated ship from the .recovery 'force. In this way, the paYload'. ; 

can be returned to Hawaii in less than".half ·the time required by, the 8upport; .i. 

ship. Upon reaching Hawaii the payload" ill its shipping container, vill be '. 

cooled by dry ice and insulation for the flight to R.ochester. Logistics for 

these requirements are being hancHed by SPO. 

Thii meeting concluded with an in8pection tour of the. Trie.te. A 

8eries of photos was taken and will be available for review a. .oon a. they are.i";i)~ 

proces8ed. The tour also included an inspection of. the capsule .iaulator contaili- .. · 

ins all the control s and instrumentation for system8 on board •. 

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. ' NR~ APPROVED FOR RELEAS{' 

• DECLASSIFIED BY: C/IART 

DECLASSIFIED ON: 25 ~ULY 2012 

.. , 

. Memorandum ME 53 (Continued) 

H 5r r-;-" I . )(' ... '.:.(4- . t 

WORKING PAt>cR, DESTROY--

OR CONTROL BY " r;> , " '. .' ~. 

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-4- September I, 1971 

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A second meeting was held in the afternnon at NUC (_val Underwater '.' :~ 

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Ileseat'ch and Development Center) to discuss the ~rits of the selected approach ,:~ '.: '.' 

and to investigage the possibility of the:it' shop fabricating the' har4Ware., 1'be'; .'. ' •..... 

attendees at this session were; .~n addition to' SSC, HQS and SPO representative.:;':,;,.,'" 

Ilobert L. Watts 

Jim Held' 

Art Schlosser 

troC . Eng~neering 

- NUC Engineering 

troc Machine Shop 

.. 

After discussing various alternate: recovery approaches and equipment '. ! 

designs (all of which were quite complicated) the hook concept sketch was re- . 

vie"wed.- It was again con~luded .that., the .design=:proposed" ·was probably th~. be"s.t-·: ~. ::'.: ~.::. 

approach. The fabrication drawings were reviewed and the aforementioned changea <' )'1. . " . ,~. 

discussed. ME'. Schlosser indicated that he could meet the schedule requirements.: '.'Y '>; . 

. lfgiven sufficient priority and funds to apply the manpower required. AUra .';:'~:' .. -:": 

_ decision, 'J however, could not be made Until the commitment was t'eviewed by the:" ..... , 

. properauehorities. It was agreed to have a firm cOlillllitmentthe: following . .-or-;· ", " 

ning.At th1swrftingthere is still no wordbutitisprobablY'90't-eertain 

that that shop wi~l do t:he job.MX' •. Schlosser's phone numberwasmadeava:f.!able' .; -> ' 

so that thept'oposed changes could be coordinated directly. . ,':," .>~" •.... 

A ba.ck-up scheme was suggested as insurance in case there was a'probleJl~?pf.\::·.·· with the primary hook apPt'oach. After again discussing several approaches the .<~. ':'j" 

one selected was the use of a net with a . frame and plow teeth as illustt'ated in' ·:;~:t..· 

:!g:~ll~s~: ::~:.:;r:~:k~o pursue the design and fabrication of. this d~ice,<~~;.s;: 

.. ~ .. ~ " .. ,' '." 

A third meeting was arranged for the following morning to discuss the. 

search operation ~ith Dr. F. Speissthe search contractor. At thb _eting the>, c' 

seat'ch technique was reviewed. '!'he expected location was transmitted and the·· .. 

schedule discussed. Dr. Spe1ss reiterated his confidence that 1£ the' paYload,:':·:ii:$,¥ <-

was in the area indicated that it could be located. He agreed that a HQS representative (probably Dale Iluth) would be of significant help on the search opera-' 

tlan·. It was tentatively agreed to. proceed on that assumption and anangements . 

are to be made for Dale to meet the search vessel in Hawaii on about 1 October. ,. 

SCHEDULE SUMMARY: ; " 11: .' 

The attached chart, Figure 2 .. hows the schedule for the overall- recOVeX'Y • :: - opet'ation. 

LBM/cj 

Distribution: 

M.F. Maguit'e 

H.W. Robertson 

Il.W. Jones 

C. ICaratzas 

P. Petty 

Il. Iloylance IiiiMin 

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SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 

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REVISE 

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FAB 

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TEST 

HOOK 

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SEARCH 

VESSEL 

SEARCH 

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RECOVERY . 'OPEAATION VI777T7J 

RETURN 

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