<font color='black' size='3' face='Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif'><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3">The aft sphere has a hatch on top and the outer shell segment was left off for the dive. During recovery operations, the tow line got wrapped around the hatch dogs, and ripped the hatch open. Drop weight and tanks were useless as the buoyancy on that aft sphere grosses at 2-tons (60" sphere). According to Roger Chapman, they had less than 15 MINUTES of life support left when they got out.</font>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3">Vance<br>
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<div style="font-family: helvetica, arial; font-size: 10pt; color: black; ">-----Original Message-----<br>
From: jimtoddpsub <jimtoddpsub@aol.com><br>
To: personal_submersibles <personal_submersibles@psubs.org><br>
Sent: Tue, Jan 28, 2014 10:56 pm<br>
Subject: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Pisces III rescue<br>
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<div><font size="3" style="background-color: transparent;">Vance,</font></div>
<div><font size="3" style="background-color: transparent;">Pretty <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">hairy</font> situation. Apparently they were 76 hours into their 72-hour life support capacity when the rescue was completed. Do you know how the tank was inadvertently flooded, why they couldn't blow the tank, or why they couldn't release a drop weight to ascend? Below is the story per Wikipedia:</font></div>
<div><span class="mw-headline" id="1973_Pisces_III_rescue"></span> </div>
<div><span class="mw-headline"><font size="4"><strong>1973 <i>Pisces</i> III rescue</strong></font></span></div>
<div><font size="3"><i>Pisces</i> III was used to lay </font><a title="Transatlantic telephone cable" class="mw-redirect" target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_telephone_cable"><font size="3">transatlantic telephone cable</font></a><font size="3"> on the sea bottom off Ireland in 1973. When a buoyancy tank was inadvertently flooded, it sank to the bottom of the ocean with its two-man crew, Britons </font><a title="Rescue of Roger Mallinson and Roger Chapman" target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rescue_of_Roger_Mallinson_and_Roger_Chapman"><font size="3">Roger Mallinson and Roger Chapman</font></a><font size="3">, stranded at a depth of 1,575 feet (480 m) and 72 hours of available life support, which they were able to extend to 76 hours by careful conservation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Way_Out_2-0"><a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisces-class_deep_submergence_vehicle#cite_note-Way_Out-2"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a></sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-World_Book_3-0"><a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisces-class_deep_submergence_vehicle#cite_note-World_Book-3"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></a></sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Chapman_4-0"><a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisces-class_deep_submergence_vehicle#cite_note-Chapman-4"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></a></sup> Initial rescue efforts by <i>Pisces</i> III sister submersibles were unsuccessful. Through an international effort of the </font><a title="United States" target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States"><font size="3">United States</font></a><font size="3">, Canada, and </font><a title="Great Britain" target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Britain"><font size="3">Great Britain</font></a><font size="3">, the U.S. Navy Cable-controlled Undersea Recovery Vehicle (</font><a title="CURV-III" target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CURV-III"><font size="3">CURV-III</font></a><font size="3">) was deployed within 24 hours 6,000 miles from its home base. Deployment of CURV-III from CCGS <i>John Cabot</i> was hampered by heavy sea conditions. Rapid repairs were made when CURV-III’s </font><a title="Gyroscope" target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyroscope"><font size="3">gyroscope</font></a><font size="3"> failed and electronics shorted-out after green water came aboard the <i>Cabot</i>. Assisted by the submersibles <i>Pisces</i> II and <i>Pisces</i> V, CURV-III was able to attach lines to the <i>Pisces</i> III hatch. The <i>Cabot</i> raised CURV-III at 60 to 100 feet (18 to 30 m) per minute until their lines entangled. The lines were cut, CURV-III was abandoned, and <i>Pisces</i> III was floated to 60 feet (18 m) where </font><a title="Scuba divers" class="mw-redirect" target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scuba_divers"><font size="3">scuba divers</font></a><font size="3"> were able to attach lines that were used to lift <i>Pisces</i> III the rest of the way to the surface. CURV-III performed the deepest underwater rescue in history when <i>Pisces</i> III’s two-man crew was rescued after 76 hours with just 12 minutes<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5"><a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisces-class_deep_submergence_vehicle#cite_note-5"><span>[</span>5<span>]</span></a></sup> of air remaining.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Way_Out_2-1"><a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisces-class_deep_submergence_vehicle#cite_note-Way_Out-2"><span></span></a></sup></font></div>
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