KES returned to the International Workboat Show with the co-located Underwater Intervention and MTS Submarine Symposium, Nov. 29-Dec. 1 2023. It was the 20th meeting of the Marine Technology Society (MTS) Submarine Symposium (former “Manned Underwater Vehicles Group”), led by MTS subcommittee chair Will Kohnen. Previously, UI/MTS would meet separately from the IWBS, but going forward they will be held concurrently in late November/early December. The 20th meeting of the MTS submarine group, coupled with being the first Underwater Intervention since 2020, was already planned to be a significant meeting of the worldwide non-military submarine community. The events involving Oceangate, Stockton Rush, and the TITAN submersible tragedy gave the gathering a sharper focus on the need to work together.
Will Kohnen of the Hydrospace Group and KES’ Bart Kemper gave the presentation, “Carbon Fiber Hulls for Submarines – Testing & Design Verification Options,” on Thursday, 30 Nov. in the Underwater Intervention “Think Tank,” a public presentation space on the main floor open to all attendees. On Friday, 01 December Bart presented, “VVUQ – The Pathway for Innovation in Submarines” as part of the MTS Submarine Symposium. In both presentations, Bart used the DSV LIMITING FACTOR as an example for testing, which was classified by DNV despite its novelty and first-of-its-kind design as a hadal depth submersible. Both of these topics were about bringing technical focus and expert discussion to topics brought up by OceanGate’s development of the TITAN and the generally non-technical punditry that came after the TITAN’s implosion. Other presenters included Daniel Hurd from Atlantis Submarines, Patrick Lahey of Triton Submarines (and co-pilot for the Five Deeps expedition with the DSV LIMITING FACTOR), Bruce Strickrot who manages the HOV ALVIN for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, representatives of the US Navy and US Coast Guard, and various private, public, and governmental organizations from Asia, Europe, and North America.
Stockton Rush had given OceanGate’s presentation at the 2016 Underwater Intervention/MTS Submarine Symposium on their plans for their new submersible, the CYCLOPS II. This submersible would later be called TITAN. The presentation raised a number of questions, which culminated in the 2018 draft letter Kohnen had written with 38 people agreeing to co-sign, ranging from the pioneering CAPT Don Walsh of the DSV TRIESTE to our own Bart Kemper. Since the MTS is a non-profit technical society with no charter to police the behavior of companies, the letter could not be sent. While the act of pulling together that many concerned parties was the leverage for Kohnen and Rush to have a discussion that resulted in some changes by OceanGate, it made it clear a member-oriented group was needed separate from the Marine Technology Society. The World Submarine Organisation (WSO) had its first meeting at the conclusion of the MTS Submarine Symposium. This new group is allowed to take public stances regarding rules, regulations, and various ventures that organizations like MTS cannot do.
The International Work Boat Show (IWBS), Underwater Intervention (UI), and the MTS Submarine Symposium came together under the same roof for the first time. Bart Kemper and Will Kohnen presented on carbon fiber submarine hulls, using the numerous examples of crewed and uncrewed systems that have successfully used carbon fiber composites. It’s also a chance to socialize, such as KES president Krista Kemper with the co-pilot and project lead for Triton Submarine’s DSV LIMITING FACTOR, the first crewed system to reach all five of the deepest parts of the ocean.
KES president Krista Krcmarik Kemper admires the scale model of the new US Coast Guard ice cutter at the Bollinger Shipyards pavillion at the International Work Boat Show 2023. KES is contracted to provide engineering support to the project, which is scheduled to start in 2024.
The international assembly of private, public, and governmental organizations and companies at the MTS Submarine Symposium
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