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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive


Patch on left contributed by Darryl L. Baker, on right by Kent Weekly

Turtle (DSV-3)

DSV (Deep Submergence Vehicle): Laid down by General Dynamics/Electric Boat, Groton, Conn.; Launched, 11 December 1968; Commissioned DSV-3

Specifications: Construction: constructed of a fiberglass hull over the metal crew sphere, batteries and electric motors. Weight: 21 Tons Length: 26 feet (7.9m) overall Beam: 8 Feet (2.4m): 12 feet (3.7m) over propeller pods Propulsion: electric motor, 1 propeller ahead, 2 rotate for maneuvering Crew Sphere: HY-100 Steel Speed: 2.5 Knots Operating depth: 10,000 (3,046m) Manning: 2 + 1 scientist
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For Full Size		Size Image Description Source
Turtle1.04kThe Deep Submergence Systems Review Group recommended this undersea search vehicle to the Secretary of the Navy in a report, April 1964. The proposed vehicle will be used to investigate ocean bottoms and recover objects.
Master Caption: Following the loss of the submarine Thresher (SSN-593) in April 1963, the Secretary of the Navy established the Deep Submergence Systems Review Group to analyze the requirements for placing man at great ocean depths. The study included an examination of plans for the development and procurement of components and systems related to the location, identification, rescue from and the recovery of large and small boats, including submarines, from the ocean floor.
Photograph released 30 April 1964.		USN photo # USN 711458, Photographed by PHC C.L. Wright, courtesy of the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, via flickr.com.
Turtle349kPhoto of the christening of the Turtle (DSV-3) at EB Division, General Dynamics, by Mrs. Edward J. Fahy, wife of Commander, Naval Ship System Command RADM Edward J. Fahy (no date given). The photo appeared in the 2/7/69 edition of the San Francisco Bay Shipyards’ the Tie Line.USN photo # DSV 3 020769 TL, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Turtle197kLCDR John F. Cameron, Officer in Charge of the Turtle (DSV-3) is seen on 2 November 1973 aboard the ship located in Mare Island's structural shop. Turtle was in overhaul at Mare Island from 29 October 1973 to 17 May 1974.USN photo courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Turtle 157k Turtle (DSV-3) in San Diego, Ballast Point ca 1970. The floating dry dock San Onofre (ARD-30) is to the far right. USN photo courtesy of usssubvetsofwwii.org.
Text i.d. courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Turtle 63k Turtle (DSV-3) is seen in this clipping from the 21 January 1977 issue of the Mare Island Naval Shipyard newspaper Grapevine. USN photo courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Turtle 102k Turtle (DSV-3) is seen aboard her transportation trailer at Mare Island after her arrival from San Diego for overhaul. She was in overhaul status at the shipyard from 29 September 1979 to 14 November 1980. USN photo courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Turtle 72k Broadside dock view of the Turtle (DSV-3) at Mare Island. USN photo courtesy of Wendell Royce McLaughlin Jr.
Turtle 68k Turtle (DSV-3) and Sea Cliff (DSV-4) dockside. Photo was taken in San Diego, Ballast Point prior to 10/19/73 since the same image appeared in the 10/12/73 edition of Mare Island’s Grapevine. USN photo courtesy of San Francisco NARA, "Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Ship Files" & submitted by Tracy White @ Researcher @ Large.
Turtle 183k Four point lift for the Turtle (DSV-3): A means to load / off-load the submersible to land-transport platform or ship. The image is probably late 1970's, or early 1980's in San Diego. Photo courtesy of Pete Juhos, MMCS(SS/SS1).
Turtle453kPrior to August 2022 the original text read: "Turtle (DSV-3) on fire aboard an unknown mother ship. Fire occurred on 16 August 1984 and fire was classified as a Class C (Chemical Fire) and Class D (Electrical Fire) and was extinguished with CO2 and water. Ref: Naval Research Laboratory Memorandum Report 6585 of 26 December 1989.
Fire appears to be limited to the aft section of the vessel. Fire likely involved the stern propulsion assembly and large syntactic foam blocks on the lower stabilizer. The NRL report does not state the limits of the damage nor the cause of the fire." DAMN!
Robert Warren wrote in August 2022: "I was the Sr. DSV Mechanical Systems Engineer @ MINSY from 1984 through 1989. I was responsible for the Turtle Fire Damage repair & mechanical Systems upgrade.
1. The support ship was Lockheed Ocean Laboratory Transquest.
2. Turtle experienced a direct battery bus short inside the silicone oil compensated main distribution box.
The short was caused by a flooded battery cable electrical connector to the distribution box. The fire was caused by the fact that both the positive & negative battery ran into the same electrical connector when it flooded. Turtle was still on the Transquest elevator when the short occurred. The pilot reported a battery short. The vehicle was raised & the crew began to investigate the cause of the short. The contactor box was very hot & the decision was made to lower the unmanned vehicle back into the water. After several hours it was raised. The contactor box was vented to remove the cover. Unfortunately, as soon as air entered the oil-filled box it started a fire which quickly engulfed the vehicle. Because this was a direct battery short there was no way to secure power into the box. So, the vehicle was again lowered into the water until it was thought to be safe. As a result of the post-fire investigation, design standards were revised to ensure that both positive & negative leads were never run through the same electrical connector again." Also, the entire exterior of Turtle (frame, structural, piping & electrical systems) was either rebuilt and/or upgraded due to the extreme heat generated from the fire. 		Text courtesy of Robert Warren, former Sr. DSV Mechanical Systems Design Engr from 1984-1989.
USN photo #DSV 3 081684 Fire, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Turtle 232k Frame 1 of the Turtle (DSV-3), in 1986 during her fire damage overhaul. USN photo courtesy of David Reid.
Turtle 223k Frame 2 of the Turtle (DSV-3), in 1986 during her fire damage overhaul. USN photo courtesy of David Reid.
Turtle 219k Frame 3 of the Turtle (DSV-3), in 1986 during her fire damage overhaul. USN photo courtesy of David Reid.
Turtle 109k The LTV-3 (Land Transportation Vehicle), in front of SRU (Submarine Rescue Unit), (the name was later changed to DSU (Deep Submergence Unit) Turtle (DSV-3) is in a fresh coat of paint after an overhaul, circa 1988 - 91. Photo courtesy of Kent Weekly (Former EMCS/SS).
Turtle 123k The DSVSS Laney Chouest, (Deep Submergence Vehicle Support Ship), hoists the Turtle (DSV-3) for a launching into the depths of the Pacific, circa 1988 - 91. Photo courtesy of Kent Weekly (Former EMCS/SS).
Turtle 93k 1 Mile Deep Club certificate - given to members who dived deeper than one mile in depth. Photo courtesy of Kent Weekly(Former EMCS/SS).
Turtle 105k 10,000 foot Deep Club certificate - given to members who dived close to or deeper than 10,000 feet in depth.
Note: The depth written on the image says 9636 feet. With a maximum depth of 10,000 feet, the Turtle (DSV-3) on this dive was within 10% of test depth. If a boat goes over test depth it is then limited to 1/2 of test depth so no submarine/submersible will ever push it's limit to the ceiling (forgive the pun, or lack of it). 		Photo courtesy of Kent Weekly (Former EMCS/SS).
Turtle 84k The Turtle (DSV-3) preparing for recovery. Crew onboard are IC2 Brian Main, on left, ET1 William Carpenter, on right. Photo courtesy of Kent Weekly (Former EMCS/SS).
Turtle 1.10k Pilot Certification for Turtle (DSV-3) Pete Juhos. Photos courtesy of Pete Juhos, MMCS(SS/SS1).
Turtle 140k April 1987. Turtle (DSV-3) has just completed an extensive overhaul / repair after a fire in August 1984. Talk about a total makeover. Frame was upgraded with additional support members to use a Calley A-Frame launch system (like what Alvin(DSV-2) uses with Atlantis II), new manipulators (one Western Space & Marine [WSM] force-feedback unit (stbd), and a more sturdy work manipulator designed and built by Naval Ocean Systems Center (NOSC); new color tv camera, new CTFM sonar, new silver zinc batteries, new electrical cabling harness external are pressure-compensated oil filled (PCOF) instead of the hard rubber with encapsulated connectors; new mercury trim tanks, new electronics in the sphere, new variable ballast pumping system…and new paint! Still rated to 10,000 feet. And, we have Alvin's old personnel sphere…the one that Alvin had on board when she was lost during a launch accident from M/V Lulu. Photo courtesy of Pete Juhos, MMCS(SS/SS1).
Turtle 196k Our crew – April 1987:From Left to Right (by heads, since we're not organized looking):
LT. Christopher J Kennedy (AOIC), LT William Drake (OIC), LT John Ferrer (Eng), ETC(SS/DV) Tim Loomis, EMCS(SS) Kent Weekly, MMCS(SS/DV) Dennis Rasnick (COB), ICC(SS/DV) John Nelson, ET1(SS/DV) Keith Blum, MM1(SS) Pete Juhos, IC2(SS/DV) Russ Peterson, EM1(SS) Ed Mitchell, SK2(SS) Keith Boyer (out of picture) MM3(SS) Jeff Fisher.
We were at the San Diego Naval Station at 32nd Street getting fitted on our new support ship, M/V Laney Chouest.		 Photo courtesy of Pete Juhos, MMCS(SS/SS1).
Turtle 178k Looking like a bunch of deep sea diving cowboys, I suppose. Being transported by a YRDM (floating crane). April 1987; San Diego, CA. Photo courtesy of Pete Juhos, MMCS(SS/SS1).
Turtle 265k The US Navy (USN) 21-ton Deep Submergence Vehicle Turtle (DSV-3), Submarine Development Squadron 1 (COMSUBDEVGRU 1), is prepared for hoisting from the deck of the Military Sealift Command's Submarine Support Vessel MV Dolores Chouest at Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI), California, after its return from sea trials on 1 October 1990. The Turtle is used in a wide variety of scientific research and recovery operations. USN photo # DN-SC-04-09583 from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil.
Turtle 286k Crew members stand on the hull of the U.S. Navy deep submergence vehicle Turtle (DSV-3) after a dive during sea trials off North Island with the Turtle's support ship, the civilian vessel MV Dolores Chouest on 1 October 1990. USN photo # DN-ST-92-02126 from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil.
Turtle 133k Crew members aboard the civilian support ship MV Dolores Chouest hold onto the mooring lines as the U.S. Navy deep submergence vehicle Turtle (DSV-3) ties up in the ship's docking well during sea trials off North Island on 1 October 1990. USN photo # DN-ST-92-02130 from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil.
Turtle 128k U. S. Navy personnel at the Deep Submergence Unit stabilize the deep submergence vehicle Turtle (DSV-3) with cables as it is readied for transport to a launch site on 1 March 1992. USN photo # DN-SC-92-08970 from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil.
Sea Cliff & Turtle 2.40k 19 page PDF Booklet about the Turtle (DSV-3) & Sea Cliff (DSV-4) & published 31 March 1996. Courtesy of NAVSEA, submitted by Jim Richardson.
There is no DANFS History currently available for Turtle (DSV-3) at the Haze Gray & Underway Web Site, the main archive for the DANFS Online Project.
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