For Immediate Release – November 14, 2018

The Phoenix Submarine Rescue Team mobilized the Submarine Rescue Diving and Recompression System (SRDRS) on board the M/V HOS DOMINATOR 10 October – 6 November and completed eight days of submarine rescue operations with the U.S. Navy’s Undersea Rescue Command (URC) off the coast of Ketchikan, Alaska, culminating in the mating of the Pressurized Rescue Module (PRM) with a U.S. submarine.

The system was transported via commercial trucking from the URC compound in San Diego to Anacortes, WA, where it was loaded onto the HOS DOMINATOR at a commercial pier, validating the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Northwest submarine rescue seaport capability. The HOS DOMINATOR then proceeded north via the Inside Passage to Ketchikan, Alaska for participation in a submarine rescue exercise.  The Phoenix team operated the tethered PRM submersible and achieved a mate with Virginia-class fast-attack submarine, USS TEXAS (SSN 775), at the U.S. Navy’s Southeast Alaska Acoustic Measurement Facility (SEAFAC) Static Site.

Phoenix personnel were instrumental in the successful completion of the SSN 775 rescue exercise, rapidly mobilizing SRDRS in its largest configuration at a remote seaport, and adapting operations to meet environmental challenges (shifting currents, low temperatures, rain and wind) while operating the rescue system safely in a constrained submerged envelope.

Phoenix has held the US submarine rescue contract since the SRDRS system was adopted as the U.S. submarine rescue capability in 2006-2007, and has developed broad and deep knowledge of the system and its capabilities.  This knowledge is critical (as was demonstrated during the 2017 submarine rescue response off of Argentina) to maintaining all U.S. rescue, intervention, and mobilization capabilities and to responding under challenging conditions.  Rescue and intervention equipment for which Phoenix is responsible includes SRDRS for deep rescue, two Submarine Rescue Chambers (SRC) for shallow rescue, and the Sibitzky ROV for intervention.

Phoenix recognizes the outstanding work of URC personnel during this highly successful operational period, and appreciates the professionalism of both the SEAFAC personnel and crew of the USS TEXAS in facilitating this demonstration of U.S. submarine rescue capability.

About Phoenix

Phoenix is an employee-owned, ISO 9001-2015 Management System certified marine services contractor providing manned and unmanned underwater solutions, design, engineering, and project management services to a diverse set of clients worldwide. Expertise is available from seven regional offices in the areas of wet and dry hyperbaric welding, Nondestructive Testing (NDT), subsea engineering, conventional and atmospheric diving, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) and Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) operation. Our capabilities include underwater inspection, maintenance, and repair of ships, platforms and structures; deep ocean survey, search and recovery; submarine rescue; subsea construction, tieback, plug and abandonment; underwater mining, archaeological, and documentary projects.