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Aluminaut

Coordinates:37°33′47″N77°27′59″W/ 37.563007°N 77.466413°W/37.563007; -77.466413
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Aluminaut underwater in 1972 (NOAA/NURP)
Aluminautunderwater in 1972 (NOAA/NURP)
History
United States
NameAluminaut
OwnerReynolds Metals Company
OperatorReynolds Marine Services
BuilderGeneral Dynamics Electric Boat,Groton, Connecticut,US
Launched1964
In service1964
Out of service1970
HomeportMiami, Florida,US
StatusPreserved asmuseum ship;Science Museum of Virginia;Richmond, Virginia,US
General characteristics
TypeDeep-submergence vehicle(DSV)
Tonnage80short tons(73t)
Displacement80 short tons (73 t)
Length51 ft (16 m)
Beam8 ft 1 in (2.46 m)
Speed3knots(5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph)
Endurance32 hours
Test depth17,000 feet (5,200 m)
Capacity6,000 lb (2,700 kg) payload
Crew6-7 (3 crew, 3-4 scientists)

Aluminaut(built in 1964) was the world's firstaluminumsubmarine. An experimental vessel, the 80-ton, 15.5-metre (51 ft) crewed deep-ocean researchsubmersiblewas built byReynolds Metals Company,which was seeking to promote the utility of aluminum.Aluminautwas based inMiami, Florida,and was operated from 1964 to 1970 by Reynolds Submarine Services, doing contract work for theU.S. Navyand other organizations, including marine biologistJacques Cousteau.

Aluminautis best known for helpingrecover a lost unarmed U.S. hydrogen bomb in 1966and recovering its smaller fellowdeep-submergence vehicle,DSVAlvinin 1969, afterAlvinhad been lost and sank in the Atlantic Ocean the previous year. After retirement,Aluminautwas donated to theScience Museum of Virginiain Richmond, where it is on permanent display.

1964: World's first aluminium submarine

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Reynolds Metals was an early developer and manufacturer of aluminium products, including aluminiumbusesand other aluminium motor vehicles.[1]

Reynolds Metals designed and built theAluminautas an experiment. The concept of an aluminum submarine was developed at Reynolds duringWorld War IIin 1942 by executive vice president Julian "Louis" Reynolds, a son of the founder. Louis Reynolds led the foil division, which accounted for 65% of the company's sales before the war.[2]Reynolds Metals also played an active role in the U.S. war effort.[3][4]

In 1964, Reynolds had theElectric Boat DivisionofGeneral DynamicsinGroton, Connecticut,build the world's first aluminum submarine. The submersible was operated by subsidiary Reynolds Submarine Services Corporation, based inMiami, Florida.Compared to many deep-sea vessels,Aluminautwas large. It weighed 80 tons and could accommodate a crew of three and three to four scientists. It had fourview ports,active and passivesonar,manipulators,side-scan sonar, and a capacity of 6,000 pounds (2,700 kg) of payload.[5]

For flexibility, it was outfitted for many types of oceanographic and salvage missions. In September 1964,Timemagazine reported on the vehicle's unique specifications, stating that its 51-foot (16 m) hull consists of 11 forged cylinders. Aluminum's strength-to-weight ratio exceeds that of steel, soAluminaut's6.5-inch-thick (170 mm) shell could withstand pressures of 7,500 pounds per square inch (52 MPa) at the sub's 17,000 ft (5,200 m) maximum diving range.[3]

TheAluminautwas designed at theWoods Hole Oceanographic InstitutioninWoods Hole,Massachusetts. A full-scale wooden mock-up was built to engineer the interior spaces. The project was classified as top-secret at that time.[citation needed]At that time it did not have aconning towerentry and it immediately flooded and sank.[citation needed]The tower entry was designed and added and in the first test, the submarine turned upside down.[citation needed]It was thought at that time that the design was impractical and was almost scrapped.[citation needed]

A one-sixteenth scale model of the final design was built in 1960 and run through stability and pressure tests.[citation needed]

1966: Helping recover a lost unarmed atomic bomb

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Further information:1966 Palomares B-52 crash
The recoveredB28FI thermonuclear bombwas displayed by U.S. Navy officials on the fantail of the submarine rescue ship U.S.S.Petrelafter it was located in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain at a depth of762 metersand recovered in April 1966

TheAluminautsoon became useful during an incident with potentially major implications. On January 17, 1966, a 1.45-megaton-of-TNTequivalentthermonuclear bomb(Teller–Ulam design) was lost in theMediterranean Seaduring aUnited States Air Forcecollision overPalomares,Spain.

Seven crew members were killed in the mid-air crash of aB-52bomber and aKC-135refueling 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.[6]

TheU.S. Navyresponded to the coast off Spain with an 18-ship, 2,200-man recovery task force under AdmiralWilliam S. "Wild Bill" Guest.In addition to military ships, the civilian-crewedAluminautand deep-sea submersibleAlvinwere both used to respond to this urgent situation as part of the task force, along with other specialized equipment. Once on site,AluminautandAlvinsearched 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 givingSovietpropagandists whatTimemagazine described as "a rich fallout of anti-American gibes".[7]

The bomb was found byAlvinresting nearly 910 metres (3,000 ft) below the surface, and was raised intact on April 7, 1966.[7][8][9][10]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 2,100-long-ton (2,100 t) submarine rescue shipUSSPetrel.[7]

1969: Rescuing DSVAlvin

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Main article:DSV Alvin § Sinking

Although both were put into service in 1964, the smallerAlvinwas to have a much longer life. As of 2023, theAlvinis still in active service, operated by theWoods Hole Oceanographic Institution.[11]YetAluminautproved vital toAlvinin 1969.

In October 1968,Alvinwas being transported aboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution tender shipLulu.Luluwas a vessel created from a pair of decommissioned U.S. Navypontoon boatswith a support structure. WhileAlvinwas being lowered over the side ofLuluon October 16, 1968, two steel cables snapped with three crew members aboard and the hatch open. Situated between the pontoons with no deck underneath,Alvinentered the water and rapidly began to sink. The three crew members managed to escape, butAlvinsank in 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) of water.[12]

In September 1969,Aluminautwas used to secure lines and a net to theAlvin,which was located, intact, almost a mile beneath the surface.[13]Alvinwas then hauled to the surface byUSSMizar.Lunches left aboardAlvinwere found to be soggy but edible, a fact which was tested when a preserved cheese sandwich was nibbled upon by one of the crew. This incident led to a more comprehensive understanding that near-freezing temperatures and the lack of decaying oxygen at depth aided preservation.Alvinrequired a major overhaul after the incident.[14]

Other missions

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Aluminautdid other work for the U.S. Navy, recovering a 2,100-pound (950 kg) current arraytorpedoat the Navy's acoustic testing facility in theBahamas.It helped make films forJacques CousteauandIvan TorsStudios. Depths up to 6,000 feet (1,800 m) were reached while surveying for the U.S.Naval Oceanographic Office.[15]

Retirement

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TheAluminautwas retired in 1970. It was donated by Reynolds Metals Company to theScience Museum of VirginiainRichmond, Virginia,where it is on display at the Garner Pavilion. However, the submersible continues to be maintained in case it needs to be returned to active service.[5]

See also

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  • Black smoker– Fissure in a planet's surface from which heated water emits
  • Hydrothermal vent– Fissure in a planet's surface from which heated water emits
  • Mid-ocean ridge– Basaltic underwater mountain system formed by plate tectonic spreading

References

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  1. ^Alcoa, Inc. company history.
  2. ^"Rosy Reynolds".Time.July 5, 1943. Archived fromthe originalon December 14, 2008.
  3. ^ab"Aluminaut & Aqucmauts".Time.September 11, 1964. Archived fromthe originalon September 30, 2007.
  4. ^Answers.com.
  5. ^abAluminautArchivedMay 1, 2007, at theWayback Machineat SMV.
  6. ^This Day in History, January 17thArchivedMay 2, 2007, at theWayback Machine:The History Channel.
  7. ^abc"UntitledTimeArchive article ".April 15, 1966. Archived fromthe originalon September 11, 2009.RetrievedMay 30,2007.
  8. ^PalomaresArchivedJune 14, 2007, at theWayback Machine,Brook.
  9. ^Classic Dive Books.
  10. ^UK DiversArchivedJune 11, 2007, at theWayback Machine.
  11. ^"History of Alvin".Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.December 2014.RetrievedJanuary 13,2016.
  12. ^"Salvops 69Archived2011-10-08 at theWayback Machine","A review of significant salvage operations conducted by U.S. Navy salvage forces and other salvage activities during 1969 ", pp. 1-18, Department of the Navy, Naval Ship Systems Command, Washington, D.C.
  13. ^BBC.
  14. ^WHOI.
  15. ^AluminautArchivedApril 14, 2007, at theWayback Machine,HNSA.
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37°33′47″N77°27′59″W/ 37.563007°N 77.466413°W/37.563007; -77.466413

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