Recent events, including the KRI Nanggala and ARA San Juan submarine disasters, are vivid reminders of the risks the brave men and women of the global submarine force take daily. The deep ocean is an unforgiving environment with insidious and relentless corrosion challenges and the impressive pressure forces that submarine systems must be able to withstand-a modest operational depth of 200 m of seawa-ter exerts 20 bar of pressure (almost 300 psi). The submarine hull can be rated to 1.3 or more times the operational depth for a "crush depth," so the forces do indeed present engineering and operational challenges. SNAME members and practitioners of the trade, as well as government sponsored design and certification authorities such as the United States Navy Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), know from history that the submarine is a system of systems that must have an integrated design approach much different from a surface ship. For example, on the worst day for a surface ship that loses all electricity and propulsion, the ship generally should still be afloat, but it can be a very different outcome for a submarine. The need for a submarine rescue capability therefore has long been recognized.
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