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From: romain@pyrnj.uucp (Romain Kang)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers,net.rec.scuba
Subject: Re: human reaction to decompression
Message-ID: <141@pyrnj.uucp>
Date: Sun, 15-Dec-85 00:02:42 EST
Article-I.D.: pyrnj.141
Posted: Sun Dec 15 00:02:42 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 16-Dec-85 04:45:56 EST
References: <631@hou2a.UUCP> <341@tilt.FUN> <627@wjh12.UUCP> <350@faron.UUCP> <6680@duke.UUCP>
Followup-To: net.sf-lovers
Distribution: net
Organization: Pyramid Technology Corp, Woodbridge, NJ
Lines: 34
Xref: watmath net.sf-lovers:11540 net.rec.scuba:244
Summary: Blow and go

In article <6680@duke.UUCP>, crm@duke.UUCP (Charlie Martin) writes:
> When someone makes a Momsen-lung ascent from a submarine (which is
> effectively identical to the Boyant Ascent story, and has been around
> since WWII -- sometimes SF is behind fact!) they need to let air out of
> their lungs continuously for just that reason.
> ...
>    People make rapid ascents of 33 feet in water every day: 
>    SCUBA divers do it all the time.  If they have not been
>    down long enough to get a lot of extra dissolved N_2, they
>    don't even particularly notice, much less explode.

I believe the standard escape procedure from submarines trapped in
sufficently shallow water is "blow-and-go": the Momsen lung requires a
slow ascent, which is difficult given the body's natural buoyancy.
Blow-and-go is supposed to be safer; you just have to remember to keep
continually exhaling through your nose, or your lungs will rupture.  If
your sub is trapped too deep for blow-and-go, then the Navy has to
borrow a C-141 from the Military Airlift Command to fly a DSRV to the
nearest USN sub that can piggyback it to you and rescue you and your
buddies; in the event of war, you probably get all sorts of posthumous
honors.  But I digress.  (I read this as an 11-year-old in some book
about submarine service training, but I imagine the procedures haven't
changed since then.)  At any rate, I think the Momsen lung is obsolete.

Can anyone in net.rec.scuba verify this?

-- 
Romain Kang, Pyramid Technology Corporation

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