Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Batchelder | 180728-N-EH218-0024 KEYPORT, Wash. (July 28, 2018) Retired U.S. Navy Master Chief...... read more read more
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KEYPORT, Wash. – The U.S. Naval Undersea Museum hosted the first ever deep submergence rescue vehicle (DSRV) reunion in the Pacific Northwest in Keyport, Wash., July 28.
The reunion included DSRV 1 Mystic, on display outside, and a speaker panel of three former DSRV pilots who came together to share stories and personal recollections of working within the DSRV program.
According to the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum, the sinking of fast-attack submarine USS Thresher (SSN 593) in 1963 revealed significant limitations in the Navy’s deep-sea capabilities. The Navy formed the Deep Submergence Systems Project in 1964 to develop a new rescue vehicle and expand its abilities. As a result, DSRVs 1 and 2, Mystic and Avalon, launched in 1970 and 1971, became operational in 1977, and served as the Navy’s primary submarine rescue system through 2008. Now retired, they remain two of the most technologically advanced submersibles in existence.
“There is equipment in these vehicles that was also used in the construction of space shuttles,” said retired U.S. Navy Master Chief Sonar Technician Todd Litke, former senior enlisted leader of Mystic. “There’s no formal training or school for a submersible like this. The people who gave the on-the-job training, as well as those who were trained, were some of the best people in the submarine force. The learning curve was huge, but so were the stakes that these vehicles were designed for.”
Although the Navy conducted numerous practice exercises with the DSRVs, they have never been used for a real-life rescue operation since no American submarine has sunk since the DSRV program began.
“It was the only system that we had that could rescue submarines in deep water,” said retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. Richard Taylor, former officer in charge of Avalon. “Twenty-four Sailors could be rescued at a time. We never had to, thank goodness, but we ran drills all the time and we did the first ever, foreign, submerged transfer drill with a British submarine on the sea bottom near Faslane, Scotland in 1979.”
Collectively, the three pilot’s experiences include service with both rescue vehicles that spans all four decades of the DSRV program’s 38-year history. Attendees of the event were provided insight into a program that was one of the most crucial components of deep-sea survivability for the Navy’s vast fleet of submarines.
“Being a part of this program is like working for a fire department,” said Taylor. “Our whole crew was always on standby. We had to be ready to load the vehicle onto an airplane for transport in less than four hours, and be on station, anywhere in the world, in less than twenty-four hours. The operational tempo was fast, but when seconds matter, it was up to us and our crew to always be mission ready.”
The reunion and speaker panel wrapped up with Litke presenting museum curator, Mary Ryan, a pair of hand controllers from the DSRV to be put on display. The U.S. Naval Undersea Museum also provided tours inside Mystic to past crew members and their families. The nostalgia was evident on people’s faces as they climbed the ladder into the vehicle’s mid sphere, one of the three spheres that comprise the vehicle’s interior. The tight quarters rekindled the sense of camaraderie that, for many of these past Sailors, had never left them.
“We need more reunions like this,” said retired U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Patrick O’Brien, former officer in charge of Mystic. “We’re all part of this close-knit, one degree of separation, family. The full crew was about 21 people, and when you work with that few people, and in such close proximity to one another for a number of years, it makes you see the importance of being able to rely on each other to accomplish the mission. Some of my best days in the Navy were in the DSRV program.”
The U.S. Naval Undersea Museum is one of ten Navy museums located throughout the country that interpret the Navy’s rich past by connecting veterans, active-duty Sailors, and the national audience with the history, technology, and operations of the undersea Navy.
| Date Taken: | 07.28.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 07.29.2018 19:56 |
| Story ID: | 286194 |
| Location: | KEYPORT, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 322 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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