Design and Operational Considerations of a Submersible
To accomplish its passenger-carrying and work functions economically, a submersible must be transportable, easily maintainable, and amenable to launch/retrieval from a rolling vessel. A review of submersibles in Chapter 4 reveals the varied approaches to these requirements. No matter what the approach, there are laws of physics and human biology which all successful vehicles must obey. There are also logistical and operational considerations which, because of their importance, are an integral part of the submersible diving system; these are its support platforms, and its launch/retrieval apparatus.
Five categories have been defined and include the design and operational factors with which the successful submersible operator must contend; these categories are:
- Environmental Constraints
- Vehicle Considerations
- Human Considerations
- Emergency Procedures
- Support Requirements
The factors within these categories are drawn from the history of submersible operations and deal with the submersible system instead of the submersible as an independent operator. Inclusion of support requirements may seem outside the scope of submersible diving principles; but submersibles are not military submarines, and none routinely operates in the open sea without surface support and in the final analysis, shore support.
