CURV-III
Encyclopedia
CURV-III was the fourth generation of the United States Navy
Cable-controlled Undersea Recovery Vehicle (CURV). CURV was a prototype for remotely operated underwater vehicles and a pioneer for teleoperation
. It became famous in 1966 when CURV-I was used to recover a hydrogen bomb from the floor of the Mediterranean Sea
. In 1973, CURV-III performed the deepest underwater rescue in history when it rescued two men 1575 feet (480.1 m) from the ocean surface who were stranded 76 hours in the submersible
Pisces III
with just minutes of air remaining. The CURV-III became known in the Great Lakes
region in 1976 when it was used to survey the wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald
. CURV-21 is the current generation that replaced CURV-III.
(SPAWAR) in the early 1960s. It was initially designed to recover test ordnance lost off San Clemente Island
at depths as great as 2000 feet (609.6 m). CURV was the pioneer for teleoperation. CURV-III is the fourth generation of CURV. After the Space Shuttle Challenger
disaster, CURV III was transferred to the Navy's Supervisor of Salvage who directed that it be upgraded from 10000 feet (3,048 m) feet operations to 20000 feet (6,096 m). The CURV-21 is the next generation following CURV-III and was built as its direct replacement.
, 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.
, Spain. The bomb was located, at a depth of 2900 feet (883.9 m), by the United States Navy
submersible DSV Alvin
after a 2½ month search. After Alvin was unsuccessful in recovering the bomb, the Navy brought in CURV-I. CURV-I was successful in attaching grapnels
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.
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 Roger Mallinson and Roger Chapman, stranded at a depth of 1575 feet (480.1 m) and 72 hours of available life support, which they were able to extend to 76 hours by careful conservation. Initial rescue efforts by Pisces III sister submersibles were unsuccessful. Through an international effort of the United States
, Canada, and England
, CURV-III was deployed within 24 hours 6,000 miles from its home base. Deployment of CURV-III from CCGS John Cabot was hampered by heavy sea conditions. Rapid repairs were made when CURV-III’s gyroscope
failed and electronics shorted-out after green water came aboard the Cabot. Assisted by the submersibles Pisces II and Pisces V, CURV-III was able to attach lines to the Pisces III hatch. The Cabot raised CURV-III at 60 to 100 ft (18.3 to 30.5 ) per minute until their lines entangled. The lines were cut, CURV-III was abandoned, and Pisces III was floated to 60 feet (18.3 m) where scuba divers were able to attach lines that were used to lift Pisces III the rest of the way to the surface. CURV-III performed the deepest underwater rescue in history when Pisces III’s two-man crew was rescued after 76 hours with just minutes of air remaining.
. Its mother ship was USCGC Woodrush
and logistics support was provided by USCG Point Steel. CURV-III logged twelve dives in 500 feet (152.4 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 the Fitzgerald was well beyond normal commercial salvage. Observers of the survey concluded that there was more damage to the Fitzgerald than expected but were unable to determine the cause of its foundering. 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 the United States Coast Guard
and National Transportation Safety Board
investigation reports.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
Cable-controlled Undersea Recovery Vehicle (CURV). CURV was a prototype for remotely operated underwater vehicles and a pioneer for teleoperation
Teleoperation
Teleoperation indicates operation of a machine at a distance. It is similar in meaning to the phrase "remote control" but is usually encountered in research, academic and technical environments...
. It became famous in 1966 when CURV-I was used to recover a hydrogen bomb from the floor of 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...
. In 1973, CURV-III performed the deepest underwater rescue in history when it rescued two men 1575 feet (480.1 m) from the ocean surface who were stranded 76 hours in the 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...
Pisces III
Pisces class DSV
Pisces class submersibles are three person research deep-submergence vehicles designed and built by Hyco International Hydrodynamics of North Vancouver in British Columbia with a maximum operating depth of 2,000 m . The vehicles have multiple view ports, sample collecting, environmental sensing,...
with just minutes of air remaining. The CURV-III became known in the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
region in 1976 when it was used to survey the wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald
SS Edmund Fitzgerald
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter that made headlines after sinking in a Lake Superior storm on November 10, 1975, with the loss of the entire crew of 29. When launched on June 8, 1958, she was the largest boat on North America's Great Lakes, and she remains...
. CURV-21 is the current generation that replaced CURV-III.
History
CURV was developed by Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center San DiegoSpace and Naval Warfare Systems Center San Diego
Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific is the U.S. Navy's research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support center for command, control and communication systems and ocean surveillance. SSC Pacific provides information resources to support the joint warfighter in...
(SPAWAR) in the early 1960s. It was initially designed to recover test ordnance lost off San Clemente Island
San Clemente Island
San Clemente Island is the southernmost of the Channel Islands of California. It is owned and operated by the United States Navy, and is a part of Los Angeles County. Defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block Group 2 of Census Tract 5991 of Los Angeles County, California, it is long and...
at depths as great as 2000 feet (609.6 m). CURV was the pioneer for teleoperation. CURV-III is the fourth generation of CURV. After the Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia having been the first. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California...
disaster, CURV III was transferred to the Navy's Supervisor of Salvage who directed that it be upgraded from 10000 feet (3,048 m) feet operations to 20000 feet (6,096 m). The CURV-21 is the next generation following CURV-III and was built as its direct replacement.
Features
CURV-III had a functional design capable of operations at 10000 feet (3,048 m). It had an open metal frame that was 6.5 feet (2 m) by 6.5 feet (2 m) by 15 feet (4.6 m), weighed approximately 5400 pounds (2,449.4 kg), and was slightly buoyant in water. A cable and surface equipment enabled deployment and operation of the vehicle from a surface support ship. 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.Other support systems included active and passive sonar
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
, altimeter
Altimeter
An altimeter is an instrument used to measure the altitude of an object above a fixed level. The measurement of altitude is called altimetry, which is related to the term bathymetry, the measurement of depth underwater.-Pressure 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.
1966 H-bomb recovery
In the Palomares incident of 17 January 1966, a hydrogen bomb was lost in the Mediterranean Sea when a B-52 bomber collided with a KC-135 tanker near PalomaresPalomares, 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. The bomb was located, at a depth of 2900 feet (883.9 m), by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
submersible DSV Alvin
DSV Alvin
Alvin is a manned deep-ocean research submersible owned by the United States Navy and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The vehicle was built by General Mills' Electronics Group in the same factory used to manufacture breakfast cereal-producing...
after a 2½ month search. After Alvin was unsuccessful in recovering the bomb, the Navy brought in CURV-I. CURV-I was successful in attaching grapnels
Grappling hook
A grappling hook is an anchor with multiple hooks , attached to a rope; it is thrown, dropped, sunk, projected, or fastened directly by hand to where at least one hook may catch and hold. Generally, grappling hooks are used to temporarily secure one end of a rope. They may also be used to dredge...
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.
1973 Pisces III rescue
Pisces III, a Canadian commercial submersible, was used to lay transatlantic telephone cableTransatlantic telephone cable
A transatlantic telecommunications cable is a submarine communications cable running under the Atlantic Ocean. All modern cables use fibre optic technology....
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 Roger Mallinson and Roger Chapman, stranded at a depth of 1575 feet (480.1 m) and 72 hours of available life support, which they were able to extend to 76 hours by careful conservation. Initial rescue efforts by Pisces III sister submersibles were unsuccessful. Through an international effort of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada, and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, CURV-III was deployed within 24 hours 6,000 miles from its home base. Deployment of CURV-III from CCGS John Cabot was hampered by heavy sea conditions. Rapid repairs were made when CURV-III’s gyroscope
Gyroscope
A gyroscope is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of angular momentum. In essence, a mechanical gyroscope is a spinning wheel or disk whose axle is free to take any orientation...
failed and electronics shorted-out after green water came aboard the Cabot. Assisted by the submersibles Pisces II and Pisces V, CURV-III was able to attach lines to the Pisces III hatch. The Cabot raised CURV-III at 60 to 100 ft (18.3 to 30.5 ) per minute until their lines entangled. The lines were cut, CURV-III was abandoned, and Pisces III was floated to 60 feet (18.3 m) where scuba divers were able to attach lines that were used to lift Pisces III the rest of the way to the surface. CURV-III performed the deepest underwater rescue in history when Pisces III’s two-man crew was rescued after 76 hours with just minutes of air remaining.
1976 SS Edmund Fitzgerald survey
CURV-III became known in the Great Lakes region in 1976 when it was used to survey the wreck of the SS Edmund FitzgeraldSS Edmund Fitzgerald
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter that made headlines after sinking in a Lake Superior storm on November 10, 1975, with the loss of the entire crew of 29. When launched on June 8, 1958, she was the largest boat on North America's Great Lakes, and she remains...
. Its mother ship was USCGC Woodrush
USCGC Woodrush (WLB-407)
USCGC Woodrush was a buoy tender that performed general aids-to-navigation , search and rescue , and icebreaking duties for the United States Coast Guard from 1944 to 2001 from home ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Sitka, Alaska...
and logistics support was provided by USCG Point Steel. CURV-III logged twelve dives in 500 feet (152.4 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 the Fitzgerald was well beyond normal commercial salvage. Observers of the survey concluded that there was more damage to the Fitzgerald than expected but were unable to determine the cause of its foundering. 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 the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
and National Transportation Safety Board
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
investigation reports.