Russian Mini-Submarine Stuck on Sea Floor

MYWAY ^ | 5 AUG 2005 | YEVGENY KULKOV

[finnman69]

They used these subs at the Kursk.

http://www.yenra.com/russian-submarines/kursk/

Deep submergence rescue vehicles Project 1855 (PRIZ). Designed by Lazurit Central Design Bureau, principal designer: Ye. Krylov. 4 vehicles were built in Gorkiy from 1986 to 1989. They are intended for rescuing the crews of wrecked submarines by "dry" method. Displacement 55 cub.m. Length: 13.5 m. Beam: 3.8 m. Full speed: 3.3 kn (horizontal), 0.5 kn (vertical). Range: 21 miles at 2.3 kn speed. Diving depth 1000 m. Complement: 4 crew's members and 20 salvaged. Endurance submerged 2-3 hours. These vehicles can carry every vessel with 60-tonn lifter.

[Tallguy]

Pipin Ferreras has been down to about 160 meters on a single breath with no scuba gear at all. They're not much deeper than that.

That's "free-diving" and the physiology of it is not all that well understood. Some free divers have been injured or killed because they were reluctant to take an emergency breath of air from their safety divers. Lung expansion injuries and/or DCS are real possibilities the moment you introduce air at depth.

Obviously a free diver can't accomplish anything meaningful on a 'bounce dive'.

[FreePaul]

Using your "theory" think of the following:

A scuba diver in one hundred feet of water puts his foot on the muddy bottom. Immediately his foot would be subjected to 44psi downward force. Depending on the size of his foot and the type of foot gear he would have one thousand pounds or more pushing down on his foot. Amazing that any divers ever surface after getting to the bottom.

[Tallguy]

Get a big helo or two, run the cables underneath it and lift it off the floor.

The sub's hull is under enormous stress at that depth. A localized increase in stress from lifting cables might crack the hull. But then again, they're not a lot of options here.

[Graymatter]

Refer to my post 46. I wasn't suggesting sending a naked guy with a pair of clippers.

[SolidRedState]

Not Gene Hackman. It was "The Hunt for Red October".

Russian guy: "It seems one of our submarines has gone missing."

State Dept Guy: "Not again."

[Fawn]

So who played the state department guy???

[SolidRedState]

So who played the state department guy???

I don't remember his name. But (puke, choke, hack) Alec Baldwin (puke, choke, hack) was Jack Ryan. Sean Conery was the Russian sub captain.

And, even though it had (puke,choke,hack) Alec Baldwin (puke choke, hack), still one of my favorite movies.

One of my favorite lines, "Russians don't take a crap without a plan."

[Quilla]

The state department guy was played by Richard Jordan. Ironically, he also played Dirk Pitt in Cussler's Raise the Titanic. When I first heard the news of this submarine stuck on the sea floor, I thought to myself, Russia needs a Dirk Pitt.

[SolidRedState]

Thanks, I couldn't place him. He's one of those actors who seems to be all over the place but when you need to remember his name, it just slips away.

[TheForceOfOne]

Time for Russia to stay out of the water.

[null and void]

Prayers up! uhh, down for them.

[Ranxerox]

Take an extra 10 lb weight down with you and place it on the scale. It'll still weigh 10 lbs. I will bet anything on that that you would care to.

Just to pick nits here, it won't weigh 10lbs., it will weigh 10lbs minus the weight of the water it displaces.

[null and void]

Sending down another similar craft, if there is one in the area, that doesn't have a mating hatch flange will do nothing except expose it to the same fate.

Maybe. If they have grippers/arms/manipulators/waldos (whatever the heck they're called) They might be able to cut them free.

Worth a try anyway.

Or perhaps they can grapple them loose.

If one of the ships is a mine sweeper they might be able to use the cable cutters to free them.

Too early to give up...

[TalonDJ]

A scuba diver in one hundred feet of water puts his foot on the muddy bottom. Immediately his foot would be subjected to 44psi downward force.

bill1952 is correct. It works just like a suction cup on the wall. It stays there because of air pressure on the outside. To you move it you have to equalize that pressure by getting air under it. No air under it = stays on the wall. Now picture a sub stuck in the mud. In you pull in it it stays stuck. You have to get water down into the mud to equalize the pressure. Now a diver standing on the sea bottom. If he fins are stuck in the mud the yeah, it will be hard to pull the free. But not THAT hard since a diver is not all that deep. Just like a suction cup he does not have to pull them away in a flat orientation. Without even thinking about it he would twist the fin slightly, water gets under it, the pressure equalizes, and he is not stuck any more. Ever try to pull a rock out of mud? you get a little resistance. That is what bill1952 was talking about. What you said above is true IF the diver pushes he fins in enough that there is no water under them. The 'stuck' force will only last until the suction cup like seal is broken and the water gets back under the fin. Feel free to try this. I have.

[TalonDJ]

Shhh, don't tell him. He was willing to bet a pile of cash on it.

[csvset]

Pacific Ocean (May 7, 2004) - A Sailor inspects the "Super Scorpio" remote operated vehicle (ROV), equipped with remotely operated video cameras and robotic manipulators aboard the Military Sealift Command

I believe that this is the device that is on it's way for the rescue effort. (MSC) special missions ship M/V Kellie Chouest.

[green iguana]

it will weigh 10lbs minus the weight of the water it displaces.

Nit picking is fine. I was so caught up in the 'pressure vs. weight' aspect that I totally neglected the water displacement part. Good thing he didn't take me up on that bet. A 10 lb lead weight probably displaces a pint of water, and as I'm sure you know: 'a pint's a pound' (fresh water at least, sea water is heavier) so that 10 lb weight would weigh 9 lb...

[Robert A Cook PE]

There are thousands (tens of thousand ?) fishing nets left on the ocean floor snagged on reefs, wrecks, and rocks underwater.

Identification alone is nearly impossible, recovery unreasonable (billions of dollars), and even if you tried, your never get all of the pieces, nor even all of the of the major parts up.

And, to what end?

[Robert A Cook PE]

10 lb lead weight (at .410 lb/ cubic inch) = 24.4 cubic inches.

Seawater, at 64.08 lbs/cubic feet (at the surface in "room" temperature water) = .03708 lbs/cubic inch, so 10 lbs of lead only displaces .9 lbs of seawater.

"Net" weight means you need to lift 9.1 lbs of lead.

"Steel cable" is less dense at .284 lbs/cubic inch.