The New Alvin and the Scheduling/Planning Processes for the National Deep Submergence Facility Jon C. Alberts, Barrie B. Walden, Richard F. Pittinger

The United States Deep Submergence Facility is in the process of obtaining support for construction of a new manned submersible as a replacement for DSV Alvin. A new 6000+ meter manned submersible will provide U.S. scientists with access to an additional 35 per cent of the ocean floor including some currently unreachable portions of the U.S. EEZ. Researchers will have a vehicle designed for the missions currently conducted and those of the foreseeable future having the power and endurance to maximize the usefulness of available research time. They will have a more comfortable vehicle with a larger interior, improved viewport placement, greater battery capacity, and generally better able to handle the burgeoning scientific equipment requirements. Lastly they will have a vehicle that builds on the experience and improvements of 35 years that have made ALVIN the most successful research submersible in the world. The adaptability of the National Deep Submergence Facility (NDSF) to a wide variety of science needs is its strength, but this complexity can also confuse and intimidate new users. The NDSF maintains strong science liaison services and provides potential users with assistance throughout the process of cruise planning, proposal preparation, and execution of field programs. Procedures for gaining access to these vehicles are not difficult and potential users are assisted both directly by the NDSF personnel and also through a user group of scientists dedicated to providing the benefit of their experience. A successful mechanism for obtaining feedback between users and operator has been established through the Deep Submergence Science Committee (a UNOLS oversight committee) and the science community. Programs are selected for funding on a competitive basis through various federal funding agencies by standard agency review processes. DSV ALVIN and its support ship R/V ATLANTIS are owned by the U.S. Navy and operated under charter agreement with the Office of Naval Research. Operation of the NDSF remotely operated vehicle (ROV) assets can be arranged in a fly-away mode on appropriate vessels within the UNOLS fleet or on commercial vessels or foreign research vessels provided they are suitably equipped. Scheduling of the R/V ATLANTIS is arranged through UNOLS, as is the use of the ROVs on UNOLS ships. Coordination between funding agencies and the UNOLS scheduling process strives to provide the users with the optimal scheduling of the assets in a given year. Requests for at-sea use of these assets remain strong for the foreseeable future.