180
T/16 Last Resource
well—head or ‘Christmas tree’, on the sea—floor, and machines
capable of completing the structure were developed. One such
machine, the Mahal“, is little more than a ‘swimming socket wrench’
which, controlled from above, clamps itself on to the underwater
well—head and tightens up the bolts. But, even as the oil companies
were developing marine telechirics, diving techniques advanced to a
point which brought the off—shore rigs once more within the diver’s
range.
It is no accident that a major experiment carried out by C onshelf3
aquanauts consisted of constructing and servicing a ‘Christmas tree’
at a depth of 375 feet. In August, 1967 two men descended in a
diving bell to 635 feet in the Mexican Gulf and worked on a well—
head system as part of a combined experiment by Esso Production
Research and Ocean Systems. The British Company, Northern
Diving Services, has divers operating on a regular basis on drilling
rigs in the cold turbulent waters of the North Sea. Several diving
groups are busy developing the capability to operate within the
entire depth range of the continental shelf. Comex (Compagnie
Maritime d’Expertise) of Marseilles has a diving chamber designed
to go down to 1,000 feet. The Shell Oil Company has enlisted the aid
of Hannes Keller and Professor Dr A. A. Bühlmann, who has co—
operated with him, as part of an effort to extend the range of their
divers. The British Company, Constructors John Brown, at one time
joined with Divcon International (UK) to develop, build and oper—
_
ate diving chambers. There is the Cachelot system of Westinghouse;
and so the list continues.
Why are commercial groups so keen to push man’s underwater
range to the limit? The British diver scientist, Dr Flemming,
provides some clues. ‘Certain attributes of the diver are unique: the
sense of touch, dexterity and agility underwater during work, the
ability to apply himself to a wide variety of dilÏerent types of work
and to improve with experience, and the ability to adapt methods of
work to changing circumstances or information arising during a
task, and to take appropriate decisions. When this integration of
sense reception, decision making, and action are required on a task,
divers are indispensable.’ These are certainly valuable attributes.
Imagine, for example, a machine trying to feel its way around and
repair a faulty piece of equipment with the visibility cut down to
zero by disturbed sediment. On the other hand, many of the qualities
listed above are those of man rather than the diver alone. Why not
T/16 Last Resource
well—head or ‘Christmas tree’, on the sea—floor, and machines
capable of completing the structure were developed. One such
machine, the Mahal“, is little more than a ‘swimming socket wrench’
which, controlled from above, clamps itself on to the underwater
well—head and tightens up the bolts. But, even as the oil companies
were developing marine telechirics, diving techniques advanced to a
point which brought the off—shore rigs once more within the diver’s
range.
It is no accident that a major experiment carried out by C onshelf3
aquanauts consisted of constructing and servicing a ‘Christmas tree’
at a depth of 375 feet. In August, 1967 two men descended in a
diving bell to 635 feet in the Mexican Gulf and worked on a well—
head system as part of a combined experiment by Esso Production
Research and Ocean Systems. The British Company, Northern
Diving Services, has divers operating on a regular basis on drilling
rigs in the cold turbulent waters of the North Sea. Several diving
groups are busy developing the capability to operate within the
entire depth range of the continental shelf. Comex (Compagnie
Maritime d’Expertise) of Marseilles has a diving chamber designed
to go down to 1,000 feet. The Shell Oil Company has enlisted the aid
of Hannes Keller and Professor Dr A. A. Bühlmann, who has co—
operated with him, as part of an effort to extend the range of their
divers. The British Company, Constructors John Brown, at one time
joined with Divcon International (UK) to develop, build and oper—
_
ate diving chambers. There is the Cachelot system of Westinghouse;
and so the list continues.
Why are commercial groups so keen to push man’s underwater
range to the limit? The British diver scientist, Dr Flemming,
provides some clues. ‘Certain attributes of the diver are unique: the
sense of touch, dexterity and agility underwater during work, the
ability to apply himself to a wide variety of dilÏerent types of work
and to improve with experience, and the ability to adapt methods of
work to changing circumstances or information arising during a
task, and to take appropriate decisions. When this integration of
sense reception, decision making, and action are required on a task,
divers are indispensable.’ These are certainly valuable attributes.
Imagine, for example, a machine trying to feel its way around and
repair a faulty piece of equipment with the visibility cut down to
zero by disturbed sediment. On the other hand, many of the qualities
listed above are those of man rather than the diver alone. Why not