CURV-III was the fourth generation of theUnited States Navy Cable-controlled Undersea Recovery Vehicle (CURV). CURV was a prototype forremotely operated underwater vehicles and a pioneer forteleoperation. It became famous in 1966 when CURV-I was used to recover ahydrogen bomb from the floor of theMediterranean Sea. In 1973, CURV-III performed the deepest underwater rescue in history when it rescued two men 1,575 feet (480 m) from the ocean surface who were stranded 76 hours in thesubmersiblePisces III with just minutes of air remaining. The CURV-III became known in theGreat Lakes region in 1976 when it was used to survey the wreck of theSSEdmund Fitzgerald.CURV-21 is the current generation that replaced CURV-III.
CURV was developed by Naval Ordnance Test Station, Pasadena, California, US in the early 1960s. It was initially designed to recover test ordnance lost offSan Clemente Island at depths as great as 2,000 feet (610 m). CURV was the pioneer for teleoperation.[1] CURV-III is the fourth generation of CURV. After theSpace ShuttleChallenger disaster, CURV III was transferred to the Navy's Supervisor of Salvage who directed that it be upgraded from 10,000 feet (3,000 m) operations to 20,000 feet (6,100 m).[1] The CURV-21 is the next generation following CURV-III and was built as its direct replacement.[2]
CURV-III was sent to theNational Museum of the U.S. Navy in 2012[3] and she is located in the Cold War Gallery.[4]
CURV-III had a functional design capable of operations at 10,000 feet (3,000 m). It had an open metal frame that was 6.5 feet (2.0 m) by 6.5 feet (2.0 m) by 15 feet (4.6 m), weighed approximately 5,400 pounds (2,400 kg), and was slightly buoyant in water. A cable and surface equipment enabled deployment and operation of the vehicle from a surface support ship.[5] The CURV-III carried:
[T]wo Vidicon television cameras, four mercury-vapor headlights, two mercury-vapor spotlights, and a 35-millimeter camera with a 500 frame color film capacity and strobe light ... mounted on two independent pan-and-tilt units, each with 360 degrees of lateral and 180 degrees of vertical movement. The vehicle thus has full viewing and self-inspection capability.[5]
Other support systems included active and passivesonar,altimeter, depthometer, and compass. It had a tool assembly mounted on the bow that included a manipulator claw. Other tools and lifting devices could be mounted for particular tasks.[6]
In thePalomares incident of 17 January 1966, ahydrogen bomb was lost in the Mediterranean Sea when aB-52 bomber collided with aKC-135 tanker nearPalomares, Spain. The bomb was located, at a depth of 2,900 feet (880 m), by theUnited States Navy submersibleDSVAlvin after a 2½ month search. AfterAlvin was unsuccessful in recovering the bomb, the Navy brought in CURV-I. CURV-I was successful in attachinggrapnels to the bomb but became entangled in the bomb's parachute lines. The entangled bomb, parachute, and CURV-I were successfully raised together to the surface 81 days after the original incident.[7]
Pisces III, a Canadian commercial submersible, was used to laytransatlantic telephone cable 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, BritonsRoger Mallinson and Roger Chapman, 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.[8][9][10][11] Initial rescue efforts byPisces III sister submersibles were unsuccessful. Through an international effort of theUnited States, Canada, andEngland, CURV-III was deployed within 24 hours 6,000 miles from its home base.[6] Deployment of CURV-III fromCCGSJohn Cabot was hampered by heavy sea conditions. Rapid repairs were made when CURV-III'sgyroscope failed and electronics shorted-out after green water came aboard theCabot. Assisted by the submersiblesPisces II andPisces V, CURV-III was able to attach lines to thePisces III's hatch. TheCabot 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, andPisces III was floated to 60 feet (18 m) wherescuba divers were able to attach lines that were used to liftPisces III the rest of the way to the surface.[6] CURV-III performed the deepest underwater rescue in history whenPisces III's two-man crew was rescued after 76 hours with just minutes of air remaining.[8][9][10][11]
CURV-III became known in the Great Lakes region in 1976 when it was used to survey the wreck of theSS Edmund Fitzgerald. Its mother ship wasUSCGCWoodrush and logistics support was provided by USCGPoint Steel. CURV-III logged twelve dives in 500 feet (150 m) of water with more than 56 hours of bottom time. The dives produced 43,000 feet of videotape and 895 still photographs. The CURV-III underwater survey confirmed that theFitzgerald was well beyond normal commercial salvage. Observers of the survey concluded that there was more damage to theFitzgerald than expected but were unable to determine the cause of its foundering.[12] Although operators of CURV-III were fully prepared to recover bodies during the survey, they did not locate any of the 29-man crew. An independent researcher was contracted to review the survey results and produce the sketches of the wreck used in theUnited States Coast Guard andNational Transportation Safety Board investigation reports.[13]
CURV-21, which can reach 20,000 feet below the surface of water was being used to search forOceanGate submersible namedTitan.[14]
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