 Aluminaut underwater in 1972 (NOAA/NURP) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Aluminaut |
| Owner | Reynolds Metals Company |
| Operator | Reynolds Marine Services |
| Builder | General Dynamics Electric Boat,Groton, Connecticut, US |
| Launched | 1964 |
| In service | 1964 |
| Out of service | 1970 |
| Homeport | Miami, Florida, US |
| Status | Preserved asmuseum ship;Science Museum of Virginia;Richmond, Virginia, US |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Deep-submergence vehicle (DSV) |
| Tonnage | 80short tons (73 t) |
| Displacement | 80 short tons (73 t) |
| Length | 51 ft (16 m) |
| Beam | 8 ft 1 in (2.46 m) |
| Speed | 3knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) |
| Endurance | 32 hours |
| Test depth | 17,000 feet (5,200 m) |
| Capacity | 6,000 lb (2,700 kg) payload |
| Crew | 6-7 (3 crew, 3-4 scientists) |
Aluminaut (built in 1964) was the world's firstaluminum submarine. An experimental vessel, the 80-ton, 15.5-metre (51 ft) crewed deep-ocean researchsubmersible was built byReynolds Metals Company, which was seeking to promote the utility of aluminum.Aluminaut was based inMiami, Florida, and was operated from 1964 to 1970 by Reynolds Submarine Services, doing contract work for theU.S. Navy and other organizations, including marine biologistJacques Cousteau.
Aluminaut is best known for helpingrecover a lost unarmed U.S. hydrogen bomb in 1966 and recovering its smaller fellowdeep-submergence vehicle,DSVAlvin in 1969, afterAlvin had been lost and sank in the Atlantic Ocean the previous year. After retirement,Aluminaut was donated to theScience Museum of Virginia in Richmond, where it is on permanent display.
Reynolds Metals was an early developer and manufacturer of aluminium products, including aluminiumbuses and other aluminium motor vehicles.[1]
Reynolds Metals designed and built theAluminaut as an experiment. The concept of an aluminum submarine was developed at Reynolds duringWorld War II in 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 Division ofGeneral Dynamics inGroton, 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,Aluminaut was 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,Time magazine 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's 6.5-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]
TheAluminaut was designed at theWoods Hole Oceanographic Institution inWoods 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 tower entry 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]
TheAluminaut soon became useful during an incident with potentially major implications. On January 17, 1966, a 1.45-megaton-of-TNT equivalentthermonuclear bomb (Teller–Ulam design) was lost in theMediterranean Sea during aUnited States Air Force collision overPalomares,Spain.
Seven crew members were killed in the mid-air crash of aB-52 bomber and aKC-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.[6]
TheU.S. Navy responded 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-crewedAluminaut and deep-sea submersibleAlvin were both used to respond to this urgent situation as part of the task force, along with other specialized equipment. Once on site,Aluminaut andAlvin searched 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 givingSoviet propagandists whatTime magazine described as "a rich fallout of anti-American gibes".[7]
The bomb was found byAlvin resting 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]
Although both were put into service in 1964, the smallerAlvin was to have a much longer life. As of 2023, theAlvin is still in active service, operated by theWoods Hole Oceanographic Institution.[11] YetAluminaut proved vital toAlvin in 1969.
In October 1968,Alvin was being transported aboard the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution tender shipLulu.Lulu was a vessel created from a pair of decommissioned U.S. Navypontoon boats with a support structure. WhileAlvin was being lowered over the side ofLulu on October 16, 1968, two steel cables snapped with three crew members aboard and the hatch open. Situated between the pontoons with no deck underneath,Alvin entered the water and rapidly began to sink. The three crew members managed to escape, butAlvin sank in 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) of water.[12]
In September 1969,Aluminaut was used to secure lines and a net to theAlvin, which was located, intact, almost a mile beneath the surface.[13]Alvin was then hauled to the surface byUSSMizar. Lunches left aboardAlvin were 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.Alvin required a major overhaul after the incident.[14]
Aluminaut did other work for the U.S. Navy, recovering a 2,100-pound (950 kg) current arraytorpedo at the Navy's acoustic testing facility in theBahamas. It helped make films forJacques Cousteau andIvan Tors Studios. Depths up to 6,000 feet (1,800 m) were reached while surveying for the U.S.Naval Oceanographic Office.[15]
TheAluminaut was retired in 1970. It was donated by Reynolds Metals Company to theScience Museum of Virginia inRichmond, 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]
37°33′47″N77°27′59″W / 37.563007°N 77.466413°W /37.563007; -77.466413
