Feature 6 | SUBMARINE RESCUE
New submarine rescue system makes
its debut
Elements of the US Navy’s new-generation submarine rescue system, the
Submarine Rescue Diving and Recompression System (SRDRS), were used
operationally for the fi rst time during NATO exercise Bold Monarch 08,
which took place 26 May to 6 June in the Baltic.
ver the first five days of the “Submarine rescue is an international evaluated by the Navy during Bold
12-day exercise, which was effort and it is vitally important for other Monarch prior to its official delivery to
Odesigned to demonstrate nations to understand the capabilities the fleet.
international submarine escape and that the US has to offer so that, should “Immediately following the SRDRS
rescue coordination, the SRDRS mated the worst happen, they will know that certification, we prepared and deployed
to and transferred personnel from three we can assist them in a timely manner,” USNS Apache from South Carolina,
participating submarines, one each from said Rear Admiral Tom Eccles, the flew the SRDRS components to Norway
Norway, The Netherlands and Poland. Deputy Commander, Undersea Warfare, on a commercial Antonov-124 aircraft,
In addition, personnel from the UK, Naval Sea Systems Command. and re-constituted the system aboard
Australia, Canada, Russia, Pakistan, SRDRS is designed to be rapidly Apache for Bold Monarch,” said Captain
India, Norway, Italy, Israel, Sweden, transportable and installed aboard Gary Dunlap, programme manager for
Spain, Singapore, The Netherlands, pre-screened vessels of opportunity. Advanced Undersea Systems and the
France and China spent time aboard The US Navy certified SRDRS for use officer in charge of SRDRS’ acquisition
the SRDRS. in April, and the system was formally and certification. “Everything came
together as planned,” Dunlap added.
The SRDRS is a three-phased
The Rescue acquisition programme that will
Capable System provide one of the most responsive and
(RCS), introduced capable systems in the world for the
during Exercise rescue and treatment of the crew from
Bold Monarch, a disabled submarine. The first phase of
will replace the programme delivered a submarine
the US Navy’s rescue intervention system – the
existing Deep Atmospheric Dive Suit 2000 (ADS2000)
Submergence – to the fleet in 2006, the ADS2000
Rescue Vehicle, being a manned, one-atmosphere dive
shown here. suit that is used to inspect bottomed
submarines and clear away debris that
could cover an escape hatch.
The second phase of the programme,
the Rescue Capable System (RCS),
was introduced to the international
community during Bold Monarch and
will replace the US Navy’s existing Deep
Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV).
The SRDRS-RCS consists of Falcon, a
tethered, remotely operated submersible
that is launched and controlled from the
deck of a vessel of opportunity. Once
mated to a disabled submarine, both
Falcon and the submarine open their
hatches to transfer up to 16 submariners
who are then transported to the vessel
54 Warship Technology October 2008
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