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, known as "Papa Topside." It showed that people could safely dive for long periods in the open ocean. The experiment gave useful information about placing habitats underwater, managing humidity, and talking clearly when breathing special air.

SEALAB I was lowered off the coast of Bermuda in July 1964 to a depth of 192 feet. It was built from two floats and held in place with axles from railroad cars. Four divers planned to stay underwater for three weeks, but the experiment ended after 11 days because a big storm was coming. They faced problems with humidity, keeping the right temperature, and talking while breathing a special mix of air.

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

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

SEALAB II

SEALAB II was launched in 1965. It was much bigger than SEALAB I and had special heating and cooling to keep things comfortable. It included hot showers, a toilet, lab equipment, and many windows to see outside. It was placed deep underwater off the coast of La Jolla, California at a depth of 205 feet.

Three groups of divers stayed inside for 15 days each, but one diver stayed for 30 days, which was a record at the time. They tested new diving tools and methods, and they worked with a bottlenose dolphin named Tuffy to help carry supplies. When the mission ended in October 1965, there were plans for Tuffy to join the next mission, SEALAB III.

SEALAB III

Because of the Vietnam War, it took four more years for SEALAB III to use the improved SEALAB II habitat at a much deeper depth in the water. Five groups of nine divers were set to spend 12 days each inside the habitat, trying out new ways to recover items from the ocean and studying oceanographic and fishery topics. Getting ready for such a deep dive took a lot of work. Besides many biomedical studies, practice dives were done at the U.S. Navy Experimental Diving Unit in Washington, D.C., using a special hyperbaric chamber that could mimic the pressure found at depths up to 1,025 feet (312 meters) below the sea.

The project faced many problems right from the start. The USS Elk River (IX-509) was prepared as a support ship, but SEALAB III was launched 18 months late and three million dollars over budget when 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, and some took chances to get things working.

After the habitat was retrieved, it was eventually 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.