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www.sea-technology.com November 2016 / st 31 The company developed numerous patents over the years specific to manned submersibles and established a series of industry firsts such as its flexible buoyancy and flotation system, a novel clam shell cabin design, a high surface freeboard design, and construction of the first three-person spherical acrylic hull. SEAmagine's submers- ible pilot training pro- gram was initially devel- oped in 1999 in conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard for its submersible operating for tourism in U.S. waters. This training program curriculum was the initial base that has since been expanded to its current international pilot training program. Salvage, Search and Rescue The applications for PNA's acquired sub is twofold. First, the vessel is an additional tool for the Prefectura Na- val for its search and rescue operations for both offshore and inland lakes. Second, the submersible is to be shared with the country's scientific community for increased ma- rine studies in the Patagonia and South Atlantic region. This dual usage of the manned submersible provides the country's scientific com- munity access to an economical HOV (human-occupied vehicle) setup while providing a powerful additional deep- water tool for the Prefectura Search and Rescue efforts. In South America, many people drown each year carrying out profes- sional operations (fishermen, aquacul- ture divers, salvage divers) and recre- ational activities at sea. Additionally, in the Andes, lives are lost in the lakes ev- ery year due to changing weather condi- tions and poor navigation infrastructure, coupled with careless behavior. Local authorities are permanently involved in very difficult salvage opera- tions, often carried out in locations with poor or nonexistent logistics. Therefore, transportable, high-end technology is a growing requirement. ROVs, AUVs and manned submersibles are tools that help to carry out these difficult tasks. The SEAmagine Ocean Pearl model is ideally suited for this response ef- fort by the Prefectura as it is sufficiently compact to be readily transported by its custom road trailer, enhancing rapid deployment abilities. The submersible's patented flotation system allows for it to be launched from a regular boat ramp, which avoids requiring large cranes to be mobilized to remote locations with sparse infrastructure. Argentina has nu- merous high-elevation deepwater lakes that greatly complicate regular diving options. The 1-atmosphere Ocean Pearl submersible requires limited topside support vessel help when used shore-based or in lakes and can perform long deep-dive durations with limited topside infrastructure. A regular SUV truck can tow the sub- mersible by road and launch it from a boat ramp or by crane. For a lake or close-to-shore operation, a regu- lar tender with a 200-hp engine can act as topside control tower during the dive operation and can tow the submersible on surface to the remote region were the salvage is to occur. For open-ocean work, the sub- mersible is launched unmanned by crane and boarded after being se- cured at the aft deck. Even in harsh weather conditions, an inflatable U-shaped docking station is used as a large fender to handle offshore sea state conditions and allows for tenders to dock on either side of the sub to ensure a safe operation. The submersible is equipped with wireless voice com- munication and with USBL navigation for topside tracking, also displayed on the pilot's navigation screen. The sub- mersible is equipped with dual-frequency forward-looking sonar, an HD underwater camera and at least one powerful robotic manipulator. The submersible's equipment allows it to perform accurate defined search patterns underwater based on its navigation system. The pilot is in constant voice (Top to Bottom) The submersible has a high freeboard and low draft when floating at the surface. Ocean Pearl being driven to a dive site for trials. Ocean Pearl descending to its max depth rating.