Aluminaut
Encyclopedia
Submersible
A submersible is a small vehicle designed to operate underwater. The term submersible is often used to differentiate from other underwater vehicles known as submarines, in that a submarine is a fully autonomous craft, capable of renewing its own power and breathing air, whereas a submersible is...
was built by Reynolds Metals Company
Reynolds Metals
Reynolds Group Holdings is an American packaging company with its roots in the Reynolds Metals Company, was the second largest aluminum company in the United States, and the third largest in the world...
, which was seeking to advertise the utility of aluminum. An experimental vessel, the Aluminaut was based in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, and was operated from 1964 to 1970 by Reynolds Marine Services, doing contract work for the U.S. Navy and other organizations, including marine biologist Jacques Cousteau.
Aluminaut is best known for helping recover a lost unarmed U.S. atomic bomb in 1966 and recovering its smaller fellow Deep Submergence Vehicle
Deep Submergence Vehicle
A Deep Sea Submergence Vehicle is a deep diving manned submarine that is self-propelled. The term DSV is generally one used by the United States Navy, though several navies operate vehicles that can be accurately described as DSVs...
(DSV), Alvin (DSV-2) in 1969, after Alvin had been lost and sank in the Atlantic Ocean the previous year. After retirement, Aluminaut was donated to the Science Museum of Virginia
Science Museum of Virginia
The Science Museum of Virginia is a science museum located in Richmond, Virginia.-History:In 1906, the Virginia General Assembly approved funds for the construction of a simple "exhibits center" to display mineral and timber exhibits being assembled for the Jamestown Exposition of 1907. After the...
in Richmond, where it is on permanent display.
1964: Aluminaut: the world's first aluminum submarine
Reynolds Metals was a pioneer in research and development of other products using aluminum. These included an aluminum transit busTransit bus
A transit bus , also known as a commuter bus, city bus, or public bus, is a bus used for short-distance public transport purposes...
and other aluminum motor vehicles.
The concept of an aluminum submarine was developed at Reynolds during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1942 by Executive VP Julian "Louis" Reynolds, a son of the founder. At 34, Louis Reynolds was in charge of the foil division, which accounted for 65% of the company's sales before the war. Reynolds Metals played an active role in the U.S. war effort, however it was 20 years before the aluminum submarine was built.
In 1964, Reynolds had the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics
General Dynamics
General Dynamics Corporation is a U.S. defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest defense contractor in the world. Its headquarters are in West Falls Church , unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Falls Church area.The company has...
in Groton, Connecticut
Groton, Connecticut
Groton is a town located on the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 39,907 at the 2000 census....
build the world's first aluminum submarine. The submersible was operated by subsidiary Reynolds Marine Services based in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. Compared to many deep sea vessels, Aluminaut was large. It weighed 80 tons and could accommodate a crew of 3 and 3-4 scientists. It had four view ports, active and passive sonar, manipulators, side scan sonar, and could hold 6000 pounds (2,721.6 kg) of payload.
Reynolds had the Aluminaut designed and built as an experiment. For flexibility, it was outfitted for many types of oceanographic and salvage missions. Time Magazine reported in September 1964 on the unique specifications, reporting that the vessel's 51 feet (15.5 m) hull consists of eleven forged cylinders. Since aluminum's strength-to-weight ratio exceeds that of steel, the Aluminaut's 6.5 inches (165.1 mm) thick shell will withstand pressures of 7,500 lbf/in² (52 MPa) at the sub's 17000 ft (5,181.6 m) maximum diving range.
The Aluminaut was designed at Woods Hole Marine Station in Massachusetts and first tested in 1956. A full-scale wooden mock-up was built to engineer the interior spaces. The project was classified as top secret at that time. At that time it did not have a conning tower entry and it immediately flooded and sank. The tower entry was designed and added and in the first test turned the submarine upside down. It was thought at that time that the design was impractical and was almost scrapped (Dr. David Guy Harden, personal observation).
A one-sixteenth scale model of the final design was built in 1960 and run through stability and pressure tests.
1966: Helping recover a lost unarmed atomic bomb
Before long the Aluminaut became useful during an incident which could have had major implications. On 17 January 1966, a 1.45-megaton-of-TNT [Teller-Ulam Design] thermonuclear bomb was lost in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
during a United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
1966 Palomares B-52 crash over Palomares
Palomares, Almería
Palomares is an agricultural, fishing and tourist village on the Mediterranean Sea in the Almería province of Andalusia, Spain. It is about 20 meters above sea level...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Eight crew members were killed in the mid-air crash of a B-52 bomber and a KC-135 refueling plane. The crash dropped three thermonuclear bombs on the land, and one in the sea. Although the others were quickly located, the bomb which had fallen into the ocean could not be located promptly.
The U.S. Navy responded to the coast off Spain with an 18-ship, 2,200-man recovery task force under Admiral William S. "Wild Bill" Guest. In addition to military ships, the civilian-crewed Aluminaut and its fellow Deep Sea Submersible
Submersible
A submersible is a small vehicle designed to operate underwater. The term submersible is often used to differentiate from other underwater vehicles known as submarines, in that a submarine is a fully autonomous craft, capable of renewing its own power and breathing air, whereas a submersible is...
(DSV), Alvin (DSV-2), were both used to respond to this urgent situation as part of the task force, with other specialized equipment on-hand as well. Once on scene, Aluminaut and Alvin were put to work to searching the ocean depths to locate and recover the submerged bomb. For eighty days the search went on, straining the U.S. relationship with Spain, and giving Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
propagandists what Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine described as "a rich fallout of anti-American gibes".
The bomb was found by Alvin resting nearly 910 meters (3000 ft) deep, and was raised intact on 7 April 1966. Admiral Guest allowed it to be photographed by the news media, allowing the world at large its first peek at a thermonuclear bomb as it sat secured on the fantail of the 2100 long tons (2,133.7 t) submarine rescue ship USS Petrel
USS Petrel (ASR-14)
The fifth USS Petrel was a Chanticleer-class submarine rescue ship in the United States Navy.Petrel was laid down on 26 February 1945, was built by Savannah Machine Foundry Co., Savannah, Georgia; launched on 26 September 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Effie Jeffreys The fifth USS Petrel (ASR-14) was a...
.
1969: Rescuing a fellow DSV
- Main article: DSV Alvin#Sinking
Although both were put into service in 1964, the smaller Alvin was to have a much longer life, and 35 years later, was still doing important work. Yet Aluminaut proved vital to Alvin in 1969.
In October 1968, the Alvin was being transported aboard the NOAA tender ship Lulu. The Lulu was a vessel created from a pair of decommissioned US Navy pontoon boats
Pontoon (boat)
A pontoon is a flotation device with buoyancy sufficient to float itself as well as a heavy load. A pontoon boat is a flattish boat that relies on pontoons to float. Pontoons may be used on boats, rafts, barges, docks, floatplanes or seaplanes. Pontoons may support a platform, creating a raft. A...
with a support structure. While Alvin was being lowered over the side of Lulu, two steel cables snapped with three crew members aboard and the hatch open. Situated between the pontoons with no deck underneath, the Alvin hit the water and rapidly started to sink. The three crew members managed to escape, but the sub sank in 1500 meters (5000 ft) of water.
In September 1969 the Aluminaut was used to secure lines and a net to the Alvin, which was located, intact, almost a mile beneath the surface. Alvin was then hauled to the surface by USS Mizar. Lunches left aboard Alvin were found to be soggy but edible. This incident led to a more comprehensive understanding that near-freezing temperatures and the lack of decaying oxygen at depth aided preservation. The Alvin required a major overhaul after the incident.
Other missions
Aluminaut did other work for the U.S. Navy, recovering a 2100 pounds (952.5 kg) current array torpedo at the Navy's acoustic testing facility in the Bahamas. She helped make movies for Jacques Cousteau and Ivan TorsIvan Tors
Ivan Tors was a Hungarian playwright, film director, screenwriter, and film and television producer with an emphasis on non-violent but exciting science fiction, underwater filmed television and films, and films about animals...
Studios. Depths up to 6000 feet (1,828.8 m) were reached while surveying for the U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office.
Retirement
The Aluminaut was retired in 1970. Subsequently, she was donated by Reynolds Metals Company to the Science Museum of VirginiaScience Museum of Virginia
The Science Museum of Virginia is a science museum located in Richmond, Virginia.-History:In 1906, the Virginia General Assembly approved funds for the construction of a simple "exhibits center" to display mineral and timber exhibits being assembled for the Jamestown Exposition of 1907. After the...
in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. There the world's first aluminum submarine is on permanent static display.
See also
- Black smoker
- hydrothermal ventHydrothermal ventA hydrothermal vent is a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated water issues. Hydrothermal vents are commonly found near volcanically active places, areas where tectonic plates are moving apart, ocean basins, and hotspots. Hydrothermal vents exist because the earth is both...
- Deep submergence vehicleDeep Submergence VehicleA Deep Sea Submergence Vehicle is a deep diving manned submarine that is self-propelled. The term DSV is generally one used by the United States Navy, though several navies operate vehicles that can be accurately described as DSVs...
- Oceanic ridge