A small new rescue submarine capable of saving 16 people at a time in water up to 2,000 feet deep recently qualified for deployment during manned test drives off Naval Air Station North Island.
The Navy describes the Submarine Rescue Diving and Recompression System as a 49-foot tethered, fly-away rescue vehicle that can be rapidly deployed around the world within 96 hours to carry out open-hatch rescues.
The sub, which can be transported by air and truck and placed on a variety of ships, will be operated by the Navy’s Underwater Rescue Command, which is based in Coronado. The command is the sole unit dedicated to performing such rescues.
The unit, which arose from a program dating to the 1960s, has never been asked to rescue sailors trapped in a submarine in the open ocean, during combat or disaster missions, the Navy says. But it is on 24-hour standby if needed.
“Our Submarine Force operates, along with our allies and partners, in challenging undersea environments that span the entire globe,” the Navy said in a statement. “It is critical for us to have an undersea rescue capability that underpins the extensive training our submariners receive and that allows us to respond worldwide in the event of a distressed submarine.”