The Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System (FADOSS) is a modular system used by the United States Navy to raise sunken objects, such as aircraft or small vessels. It has a maximum lifting capacity of 60,000 lb (27,000 kg), and can recover objects from depths of 20,000 ft (6,100 m).
FADOSS is operated by Naval Sea Systems Command, Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV). It is designed to be airlifted to sites and installed on a "vessel of opportunity" as required for rapid deployment. Installation includes welding to the ship's deck to support the load, which requires approximately 24 hours. [1]
The major components of FADOSS include: [2]
The SMC is the key component, as it uses a pressurized ram cylinder and sheaves to compensate for ship motions, limiting the variance in line tension. [2]
The recovery line and storage reel are sized for the job, and are available in 15,000 lb (6,800 kg), 30,000 lb (14,000 kg), and 60,000 lb (27,000 kg) sizes. [2] A remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) is used to locate the item(s) to be salvaged and attach rigging for recovery. After the recovery line is lowered to the site, the ROV attaches the line to the rigging and FADOSS uses the traction winch to reel in the line, lifting the object to the surface.
Development of the SMC began with testing a ram tensioner in the early 1980s; [3] [4] the basic tensioner design had been used since the 1960s for underway replenishment operations, in which two ships moving next to each other transferred items by a horizontal line. [5] By 1986, the system had been named FADOSS, capable of recovering items weighing up to 55,000 lb (25,000 kg) from depths of 20,000 ft (6,100 m) [6] using an aramid-fiber line. [7] FADOSS systems are stationed in Williamsburg, Virginia and Port Hueneme, California. [8]
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The FADOSS was most recently used to recover a F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet from the Mediterranean Sea last July.
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