SEALAB

SEALAB

SEALAB I, II, and III were special underwater homes made and used by the United States Navy in the 1960s. They were built to test if people could live underwater for long times and work safely in deep water. These underwater homes helped scientists learn more about how humans can stay healthy and strong when they are far below the sea.

The information from the SEALAB projects helped make deep sea diving safer and better. It also taught us more about how people can handle being apart from others and living in very different places for many days or weeks. This knowledge has been important for exploring the ocean and helping people who might need to work or rescue others in deep water.

United States Navy Genesis Project

George F. Bond started the project and named it after the Book of Genesis, which talks about humans living in the oceans. He began studying how people could breathe and live underwater in 1957. His team tested different air mixtures on animals and humans under pressure. By 1963, they had enough information to try building the first underwater home called SEALAB.

At the same time, other people like Jacques Cousteau and Edwin A. Link were also studying underwater living. Link’s work led to the very first underwater home, where Robert Sténuit stayed deep in the sea for a day in 1962. Cousteau also made underwater homes, with crews living at shallow depths in different parts of the world. Later in 1963, the U.S. government decided to start the SEALAB program to explore living deep under the water.

SEALAB I

SEALAB I was led by Captain Bond, called "Papa Topside." It showed that people could dive safely for long periods in the open ocean. The experiment helped us learn about living underwater, controlling humidity, and talking clearly while breathing special air.

SEALAB I was placed off the coast of Bermuda in July 1964 at a depth of 192 feet. It was made from two floats and held in place with axles from railroad cars. Four divers were supposed to stay underwater for three weeks, but the experiment ended after 11 days because a big storm was coming. They had trouble with humidity, temperature, and talking while breathing special air.

Astronaut Scott Carpenter, the second American to orbit Earth, was going to join the team. But he had an accident and broke some bones before the dive.

Today, SEALAB I is shown at the Man in the Sea Museum in Panama City Beach, Florida. Its metal frame is still mostly intact, and it was fixed up for its 50th anniversary.

SEALAB II

SEALAB II started in 1965. It was bigger than SEALAB I and had special heating and cooling. It had hot showers, a toilet, lab equipment, and many windows. It was placed deep underwater near La Jolla, California at a depth of 205 feet.

Three groups of divers lived inside for 15 days each. One diver stayed for 30 days, which was a record then. They tested new diving tools and methods. They also worked with a bottlenose dolphin named Tuffy to help carry supplies. The mission ended in October 1965.

SEALAB III

Because of the Vietnam War, it took four more years for SEALAB III to use the improved SEALAB II habitat at a deeper depth in the water. Five groups of nine divers were going to spend 12 days each inside the habitat, trying new ways to get things from the ocean and studying oceanographic and fishery topics. Getting ready for such a deep dive took a lot of work. There were many biomedical studies and practice dives at the U.S. Navy Experimental Diving Unit in Washington, D.C., using a special hyperbaric chamber that could copy the pressure found deep in the water.

The project had many problems from the start. The USS Elk River (IX-509) was ready to help, but SEALAB III was launched 18 months late and cost three million dollars more than planned. It was placed at a depth of 610 feet (190 meters) off San Clemente Island, California, on February 15, 1969. The team members felt tense and frustrated by these delays.

After the habitat was brought up, it was broken down. Some parts of the research kept going, but no new habitats were made. A model of SEALAB III can be seen at the Man in the Sea Museum in Panama City Beach, Florida.