World record of Soviet military divers From the history of deep-sea descents in the USSR

[АлександрД]

This is translation (by goofle translator) of the article:
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World record of Soviet divers From the history of deep-sea descents in the USSR

In 1956, on the Caspian Sea near the city of Baku, a naval expedition led by N.K. Krivosheenko, N.T. Koval, S.E. Bulenkov, experimental descents to 220, 240, 260, 280 and 300 m were performed from the Zangezur vessel. P.Ya. Porazhevsky, A.A. Kovalevsky, V.S. Shalaev, D.D. Limbens.

(GKS-3M)

The role and significance of EPRON's activities for the development of the physiology of diving and the rescue of submariners before the start of the Great Patriotic War can hardly be overestimated. Our country occupied a leading position in these areas of scientific thought.
The archival materials available in the 40th State Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (the originals of the correspondence of the Standing Committee on Emergency Rescue Activities (PC ASD) of Academician L.A. Orbeli 1941-1942) show the grandeur of the expedition planned for the summer of 1941 in the Baltic Sea with the aim of mastering depths up to 200 m, development of means and methods of independent rescue of submariners from a depth of 40 m.
To assess the scale of the planned 1941 expedition, it is necessary to characterize the state of research at that time on the physiology of diving descents and the rescue of submariners from an emergency submarine.

In 1931, EPRON's diver A.D. Razuvaev in three-bolt gear sank to a depth of 100 m.
In 1932-1935. divers of EPRON I.T. Chertan, N.A. Maksimets, V.G. Khmelik reached a depth of 113.5 m, and then 115 m.
In 1937 V.M. Medvedev, I. T. Chertan, P.K. When breathing compressed air, the spas sank to a depth of 137 m.
These were records that were determined by the individual special resistance of these divers to nitrogen narcotic effects. Diving descents using air were limited to a depth of 60 meters.
Beginning in 1936, in the USA and the USSR, studies began on the use of helium-oxygen mixtures (GCS) for breathing for deep-sea divers, excluding nitrogen anesthesia. In 1939, for the barological laboratory of the VMA them. CM. Kirov, a pressure chamber with a pre-chamber for a pressure of 20 atmospheres was manufactured at the Baltic plant for work using the GCS. In the same year, specialists of the Standing Committee on ASD conducted experimental descents to a depth of 157 m, using helium-oxygen mixtures and self-contained breathing apparatus of light diving equipment.
In the US Navy in 1940, divers, using the GKS, plunged to a depth of 120 m.

To carry out deep-sea descents into the sea, it was necessary to create a complex of technical means installed on a diving vessel. In 1940 EPRON developed a diving lifting chamber PR for transporting divers in the air (a prototype of a diving bell) and a semi-bell "Phaeton" - a diving arbor.

On the very first day of the war, started by Germany, by order of the NK of the USSR Navy and the NK of the USSR Ministry of Finance of June 22, 1941, No. 0525/22 EPRON with all control bodies and means was included in the Navy.
In July 1941, part of the property of the military laboratory of the VMA and PK ASD was evacuated from Leningrad to Kazan. The issues of organization of the ASD PK base in the Caspian Sea, the Aral Sea and on Lake Baikal in Listvennichnaya Bay at the source of the Angara River are considered.
Work on the creation of helium-oxygen equipment in the ACC together with the PC ASD continued even during the war.
In January 1945, the ACC research institute (then the 40th State Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation) was formed, the military medical department of which was engaged in the creation of means and methodology for deep-water diving descents and rescue of submariners from a depth of more than 100 m.
Specialists of the Navy ASD PK continued to actively participate in the activities of the institute, work continued on the creation of helium-oxygen diving equipment and means of providing deep-water diving descents to a depth of 200-300 m.
In 1945-1946. at the Black Sea Fleet, the floating base "Altai" is being re-equipped into a rescue vessel to ensure the operation of the ASD PC, tests of the complex for ensuring deep-sea descents.
The vessel is equipped with: a flow-decompression chamber, a semi-closed bell "Phaeton", a closed-type bell with an on-board SPU, air compressors, a gas supply system, helium cylinders, means of communication with divers, etc.

In the period 1946-1948, for the first time, the ASD PK expeditions were carried out in the Sukhumi region to work out diving descents to depths of up to 200 m in the GKS-3 equipment under the leadership of E.M. Kreps, L.A. Orbeli, M.P. Brestkin with the participation of the staff of the Research Institute of ACC Navy N.G. Koval, N.K. Krivosheenko, S.E. Bulenkova, I.I. Vyskrebentseva, B.A. Ivanova.
In 1949, the GKS-3 equipment was accepted for supply to the Navy. A number of auxiliary vessels and minesweepers are being converted into rescue vessels with diving complexes for descents to a depth of 200 m. The task has been set to master regular diving descents to a depth of 200 m for divers of the Black Sea, Northern Fleets and the Caspian Flotilla.
In 1951, for the creation of the GKS-3M equipment and the development of the method of deep-sea descents, a group of specialists from the Research Institute of ACS and the fleet became laureates of the State Prize (A.F. Maurer, S.E.Bulenkov, N.T. Koval, I.I. Vyskrebentsev, B. A. Ivanov and others).
In 1956, in the Caspian Sea near the city of Baku, an expedition of the Navy and PK ASD carried out training descents of a group of divers to depths of 60, 100, 140, 160, 180, 200 m.
A group of testers was selected, which carried out experimental launches from the Zangezur vessel of project 254 at 220, 240, 260, 280 and 300 meters.
Divers P.Ya. Porazhevsky, A.A. Kovalevsky, V.S. Shalaev and D.D. Limbens.

 

[АлександрД]

Excerpts from the act "On conducting experimental descents of divers to depths of up to 300 meters and testing samples of new diving equipment" dated November 3, 1956.
Commander of the Red Banner Caspian Flotilla, Rear Admiral G.G. Oleinik

“According to the order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy No. 00406 dated 08.22.56, the Red Banner Caspian Flotilla in the period from October to November carried out experimental divers' descents to depths of up to 300 meters inclusive and factory ship tests of industrial samples of new diving equipment.

Experimental descents of divers and testing of samples were carried out by a commission appointed by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy in the following composition: Chairman - Head of the ACC KKF Captain I Rank A.V. Sokolov, Scientific Supervisor - Head of the Hydrocompression Unit of the Institute of the Navy Colonel M. Chairman - the commander of 402 OD ACC KKF captain 2nd rank Khiger S.A. and the head of the laboratory of the Institute of the Navy, Captain 2nd Rank S.E.Bulenkov.
Members of the commission: head of the 4th department of the Institute of the Navy, engineer-colonel Alexandrov M.M., head of the laboratory of the Institute of the Navy, lieutenant colonel m / s Koval N.T., senior diving specialist ON ACC KKF, lieutenant commander Zherebtsov K.F., researcher Institute of the Navy, Senior Lieutenant II Vyskrebentsev, Diving Specialist 402 AD ACC KKF Lieutenant Nasretdinov Sh.Kh., Representative of the Navy ACC Lieutenant Engineer A.A. Tereshenkov

The following persons participated in the conduct and support of the experimental descents and tests: from the Institute of the Navy - junior researcher, major m / s Smolin V.V., senior researcher, engineer-major B.C. Kruzhanov. and 4 divers; from ACC KKF - specialists - physiologist captain m / s V.T. Senchuk and others, as well as the personnel of the SS "Zangezur".
To carry out experimental deep-water descents from the floating craft of the ACC KKF, the rescue vessel "Zangezur" was allocated and accordingly equipped. For descents to a depth of 200 m during the repair period of the Zangezur SS, the Aragats SS was allocated.
In the area of Andreev Bank at a depth of 308-310 m, the forces and means of the ACC KKF equipped a landfill with three road barrels installed. The launching device was equipped with 700 m long cables. This length of the launching cables made it possible to lower the diving bell to a depth of 300 m, while three hoses remained on one winch drum, and four cable hoses on the other. Two diving stations GKS-3 were equipped with experimental braided hoses with an 8 mm bore and increased strength. The length of these hoses was 350 m. Two electric cables were tied to each hose: one telephone and the other for electric heating. Experimental injectors with a main nozzle diameter of 0.5 mm were installed in the spacesuits. The bell's hose and cable were lengthened to 350 m. The lighting inside the bell remained standard. Experimental stand-alone lamps "SPA" served as duplicate lighting in the bell. To illuminate the bell platform, an experimental installation "UOG-55" with stationary and portable lamps with a capacity of 1000 watts each was used. The UOG-55 installation cable was etched separately.
To prevent the cooling of divers during their stay under water, an experimental installation for electric heating of divers mounted on a rescue vessel was used, which included 6 fur overalls with electric heating. Conversational communication with the divers was maintained with the help of a regular deep-sea telephone station GVTO, which is in service with the Navy's ACC.
For all descents, 186 cylinders of a helium-oxygen mixture with a pressure of 120 atm were used, the preparation of which required 165 helium cylinders. A chemical absorbent of lime (KhPI) was spent 200 kg to charge the ISA-M-48 apparatus used for breathing oxygen during decompression in the chambers.

Test divers

N.K. Krivosheenko

N.T. Koval

S.E. Bulenkov

In the preparatory period, a group of divers in the amount of 15 people was selected for training descents and testing samples of new diving equipment to a depth of 200 m. The group consisted of divers from the Institute of the Navy - 4 people, from the staff of the SS "Zangezur" - 7 people and from the staff of the SS "Aragats" - 4 people.
During the descent period, part of the divers dropped out of the selected group for the following reasons:
Warrant Officer Bykovsky, Chief Petty Officer Nikulin and Senior Seaman Rantsan were demobilized on September 25, Chief Petty Officer Klygin and Art. sailor Kovalchuk temporarily suspended from descents after suffering decompression sickness. Warrant officer Belov was suspended from descents after descending to 240 m at his personal request and taking into account the fact that in 1954 he suffered a serious illness from decompression sickness.
Thus, for descents to a depth of 250–300 meters, the main group of divers of 6 people remained, and 3 divers, descending to depths of 130 and 170 m, were a reserve.

 

[АлександрД]

Technique and provision of descents

Comparative data on the distribution of divers' descents by depths, provided by the program and carried out physically, are presented in table.

The increase in the number of actually conducted descents to depths of 130-170 m, against those envisaged in the program, was caused by the need to test equal versions of overalls with electric heating in order to more fully identify their shortcomings and eliminate them before descents to great depths.
The deviation from the program in the distribution of the depth and the number of descents at depths from 170 to 290 m was mainly caused by the limited amount of helium allocated for the work, stormy weather in the Caspian Sea during the descent period, and also by the fact that all divers participating in the descents were subject to demobilization in October – November 1956.
The increase in the intervals between the depths of the descents from 250 to 300 m did not reduce the value of the results of the descents and made it possible to establish the possibility of faster training of divers to reach the maximum depth of 300 m.
All descents to a depth of 250 m were carried out in accordance with the methodology approved by the head of the Navy's ACC and attached to the program of experimental descents. Of the three descents to a depth of 250 m, one descent was made with the divers staying on the platform.
During all descents to depths of 270, 280 and 300 m, the divers were in the bell. According to the methodology attached to the program, it was envisaged that the first descent to each new depth should be carried out with the divers staying inside the bell, and during subsequent descents the divers had to be on the platform.
In fact, only one descent was carried out to depths of 270 and 280 m, during which the divers were supposed to be in the bell according to the program. The descents to a depth of 300 m were carried out, like most of the previous descents, under unfavorable meteorological conditions and on the same day. Therefore, for the safety of the divers, the second pair could not be lowered on the platform, which was confirmed during the descent, when one of the divers had symptoms of dysfunction of the vestibular apparatus while staying under water at a depth of 95 m.
The divers' descents in the bell significantly reduced the consumption of the helium-oxygen mixture, because during the ascent, the mixture released from the spacesuits was mixed with the air in the bell and, as a result, an air-helium mixture was obtained, suitable for breathing at depths of 100–80 m. Therefore, when the divers were freed from their equipment at a depth of 85–90 m, the mixture was not fed into the bell from the surface ...
With a limited amount of helium, this factor was of no small importance.
Taking into account that the release of divers from equipment in the bell at a depth of 85 m in terms of physical activity was equal to entering the bell and taking on the suspension at a depth of less than 60 m, we can assume that the value of descents in the bell and on the platform,
in the sense of clarifying the narcotic effect of helium at depths from 250 to 300 m, was the same.
The time spent on the ground, taking into account half the diving time, in some descents was 15, and in some - 20 minutes. One descent to a depth of 250 m and both descents to a depth of 300 m were carried out while staying on the ground, excluding the descent time, 10–12 minutes.
It should be noted that out of 6 divers who participated in these descents, 3 had symptoms of damage to the vestibular apparatus of the inner ear.
The provision of descents, preparation and testing of equipment before launching were carried out in accordance with the existing guidelines for deep-sea operations and their support. Diving hoses, bell hoses and electrical cables were etched and picked by hand.
From 10 to 12 sailors were assigned to launch and retrieve each hose; for lamps and electrocardiogram cables - 3 people each.

Results of experimental runs and testing of new technology samples

The program for conducting experimental descents to depths of up to 300 m set the following tasks:
- to find out the absence or presence of the narcotic effect of helium on the body and the nature of its manifestation;
- find out the possibility of a person staying under pressure up to 31 atm;
- to find out the degree of suitability of the GKS3 diving equipment for descents of divers to depths of up to 300 m;
- to test the effectiveness of using overalls with electric heating when descending divers to depths of up to 300 m;
- check the spoken telephone communication and test the deep-water lighting installation.

In the course of the descents, all the tasks were completed.

Conclusions:
1. Well-being of divers, accurate fulfillment of all tasks and orders transmitted by phone, as well as data from an objective study of the functional state during and after descents, as well as during their stay on the ground (electrocardiography) at depths of up to 300 m, inclusive, shows that in the state of relative rest of divers, the pronounced narcotic effect of helium on the body under a pressure of 31 ata does not occur.
According to divers, all movements and actions associated with physical activity during their stay at depths of 250 to 300 m quickly cause fatigue.
Based on this, it can be assumed that only observation can be carried out at great depths (250–300 m).
The stay of divers at these depths in order to carry out practical diving work requires further deeper study in laboratory conditions.
During the period of divers' descents to depths of 200–300 m, there was one case of usual decompression sickness in diver Belov and 4 cases of diseases with damage to the vestibular apparatus of the inner ear in divers Klygin, Kovalchuk, Shalaev, Porazhevsky.
Analysis of the conditions for the occurrence of such diseases suggests that their frequency depends on the depth of descent, on the time spent on the ground, on the degree of general cooling and especially on the cooling of the occipital-temporal part of the head, on the content of carbon dioxide in the inhaled mixture, as well as on the state of the sea. during the descent.
The results of the study and the well-being of divers during their stay at depths from 200 to 300 meters show that at these depths a pronounced narcotic effect of helium on the body is not observed.

2. The tested samples of new diving equipment turned out to meet their purpose and requirements for descents to 300 m, namely:
- Diving helio-oxygen equipment GKS-3, used for descents of divers to depths of up to 300 m, showed good performance.
- Overalls with electric heating were used for all descents to depths from 130 to 300 m. The Commission notes that the presence of these overalls contributed greatly to the successful launch of descents to 300 m.
- During the descent, it was established that the telephone communication through the deep-sea telephone exchange, available for the Navy's ACC, both in terms of volume and intelligibility of divers' speech at depths of 210-300 m, does not deteriorate, but remains the same as at a depth of 200 m ...
- An autonomous underwater lamp designed for submariners when leaving a sunken submarine in insulating equipment, tested to a depth of 300 meters inclusive. The Commission believes that such a luminaire, in addition to its direct purpose, can be used to illuminate the inside of a diving bell during deep descents in case of failure of the main lighting. "
It is important to note that this was the world record for diving to such a depth not by a single individual, but by a group of divers. Prior to this, the record was considered the descent of the English diver J. Wookey to 183 m (1956). Only 6 years later, in 1962, the Swiss mathematician G. Keller made a single dive to 300 m in Lake Lucerne, which was a sensation for the world community.
Information about the deep-sea descents of Soviet divers in 1956 was first published only 40 years later - in the book "Naval Rescuers", published by the Military Publishing House in 1996 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the UPASR of the Navy, the successor of EPRON.

 

[Compressor]

Great material to read. Thank you АлександрД.

 

[kelemvor]

Wow, lots of interesting info here!

There's some terminology I've never seen before such as "the great patriotic war" which seems to be what the Russians call their part in WWII. When I find something in the very first sentence that I don't understand, I know I'm in for a read that requires me to do a lot of research.

 

[dmaziuk]

Wow, lots of interesting info here!

There's some terminology I've never seen before such as "the great patriotic war" which seems to be what the Russians call their part in WWII.

Specifically, the war against Germany from June 1941 to the fall of Berlin in May 1945. The Far East ops weren't advertised much, at least in my time/place, and finer details about Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, alleged training of German panzer commanders in Stalingrad Military Academy, role of the 3rd International in the 1932 German elections, etc. was downright dissident-speak.

 

[JT0722]

Great history