UK Manufacturing Day – 26th September 2024
Celebrating Yorkshire’s Manufacturing Excellence
UK Manufacturing Day – 26th September 2024
Celebrating Yorkshire’s Manufacturing Excellence
The Collaboration of FET Subsea and Analox on Submarine Rescue Systems
On UK Manufacturing Day, we celebrate the ingenuity and craftsmanship of the Yorkshire region. Forum Energy Technologies (FET) in Kirkbymoorside and Analox in Stokesley have formed a partnership that highlights the region’s strong capabilities in technology. Together, we have developed advanced submarine rescue systems that support navies around the world.
On UK Manufacturing Day, we celebrate the ingenuity and craftsmanship of the Yorkshire region. Forum Energy Technologies (FET) in Kirkbymoorside and Analox in Stokesley have formed a partnership that highlights the region’s strong capabilities in technology. Together, we have developed advanced submarine rescue systems that support navies around the world.
Discover FET Subsea
FET Subsea is renowned for its expertise in subsea engineering and technology. Specialising in the design and manufacture of advanced rescue vehicles and ROV’s (Remotely Operated Vehicles).
FET has built a reputation for delivering robust and reliable solutions tailored to the unique demands of underwater rescue missions and Subsea operations.
The vehicles are designed to withstand the extreme pressures found at depth while ensuring the safe and efficient transfer of personnel.
Discover FET Subsea
FET Subsea is renowned for its expertise in subsea engineering and technology. Specialising in the design and manufacture of advanced rescue vehicles and ROV’s (Remotely Operated Vehicles).
FET has built a reputation for delivering robust and reliable solutions tailored to the unique demands of underwater rescue missions and Subsea operations.
The vehicles are designed to withstand the extreme pressures found at depth while ensuring the safe and efficient transfer of personnel.
Who are Analox?
Across the Yorkshire Moors is Analox. We have been leaders in subsea atmospheric management and gas detection systems for over 40 years.
With a strong focus on safety and precision, our products play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of these operations through advanced environmental monitoring systems.
This technology is integral to maintaining a life-sustaining atmosphere within the Submarine Rescue Vehicle (SRV) and decompression chambers.
At Analox, we monitor critical gases such as oxygen (O₂), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and trace gases, providing real-time data to prevent life-threatening conditions.
Who are Analox?
Across the Yorkshire Moors is Analox. We have been leaders in subsea atmospheric management and gas detection systems for over 40 years.
With a strong focus on safety and precision, our products play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of these operations through advanced environmental monitoring systems.
This technology is integral to maintaining a life-sustaining atmosphere within the Submarine Rescue Vehicle (SRV) and decompression chambers.
At Analox, we monitor critical gases such as oxygen (O₂), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and trace gases, providing real-time data to prevent life-threatening conditions.
The Challenge
Submarine Rescue Needs
When a submarine is in trouble, rescuing the crew becomes much more difficult due to the extreme conditions underwater. At depths of several hundred metres, the pressure is immense, over 60 times greater than at sea level. This makes rescue operations incredibly challenging.
Surviving in these conditions is tough for the crew. They face life-threatening problems like lack of oxygen (hypoxia), buildup of carbon dioxide (hypercapnia), and decompression sickness (“the bends”). Hypoxia can cause unconsciousness and death, while too much carbon dioxide can lead to breathing failure. Decompression sickness happens when pressure drops too quickly, causing nitrogen bubbles to form in the blood, which can be fatal.
In some cases, submariners can attempt to escape from a stranded submarine using special escape suits. However, these escapes are dangerous and only possible in shallow waters. This is why rescue operations using submersibles, like the NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS), are a much safer alternative.
Submarine Rescue Needs
When a submarine is in trouble, rescuing the crew becomes much more difficult due to the extreme conditions underwater. At depths of several hundred metres, the pressure is immense, over 60 times greater than at sea level. This makes rescue operations incredibly challenging.
Surviving in these conditions is tough for the crew. They face life-threatening problems like lack of oxygen (hypoxia), buildup of carbon dioxide (hypercapnia), and decompression sickness (“the bends”). Hypoxia can cause unconsciousness and death, while too much carbon dioxide can lead to breathing failure. Decompression sickness happens when pressure drops too quickly, causing nitrogen bubbles to form in the blood, which can be fatal.
In some cases, submariners can attempt to escape from a stranded submarine using special escape suits. However, these escapes are dangerous and only possible in shallow waters. This is why rescue operations using submersibles, like the NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS), are a much safer alternative.
Why Submarine Rescue Became a Necessity and How Yorkshire is Leading the Way
The sea can be a dangerous place, especially for submariners. For over a century, rescuing trapped submarine crews has been a huge challenge, especially as fleets grew in size and importance – so did the necessity for submarine rescue systems. One of the first major breakthroughs happened in 1939, when the crew of the USS Squalus was saved in the first successful submarine rescue. This event kickstarted new technology that’s still improving today.
Rescuing submariners has always been tough because of the risk and complexity of the underwater environment they operate. A great example of modern submarine rescue technology is the NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS), which was created by several countries working together. Launched in 2008, it’s designed to quickly rescue submariners in trouble, no matter where they are in the world. The NSRS can be flown to the location, set up fast, and sent down to help.
As submarines became more advanced, rescuing them from the surface became harder due to things like bad weather and deep water. That’s why the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) was introduced in the 1970s. It’s a mini-submarine that can dive deep and carry survivors to safety.
Other countries, including the UK, followed this example by developing their own rescue vehicles, which is where the development of the FET Subsea LR5 Submarine Rescue Vehicle came along from adopting NATO’s NSRS.
These systems have become faster and more efficient, involving steps like locating the submarine, rescuing the crew, and helping them recover.
SRV's Capability
If something goes wrong with a submarine, fast and dependable rescue systems are crucial to save lives.
The Submarine Rescue Vehicle (SRV) is designed not only to handle the extreme pressure underwater but also to safely transfer crew members from the damaged submarine to the surface.
The SRV connects to the submarine’s escape hatch, creating a watertight seal so the crew can move safely into the rescue vehicle.
Once inside, they are kept in a pressurised environment to avoid decompression sickness, also known as “the bends.”
The SRV carefully controls the pressure to match the depth of the submarine, gradually lowering it as the survivors are brought back up.
This step is incredibly important because even small mistakes in pressure control can be dangerous.
Rescuing a submarine crew is also logistically complicated. The NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS) is an example of how technology and teamwork between countries can save lives.
The system has an SRV that can dive as deep as 610 metres, a system to launch and recover it, and a Transfer Under Pressure (TUP) system to safely move submariners without risking decompression sickness.
The NSRS was manufactured in Yorkshire by FET Subsea – excellent manufacturing done on our doorstep which is used worldwide.
The system is a joint project operated by France, Norway, and the UK, with the costs shared between the three nations.
If an emergency happens, both NATO and non-NATO countries can ask for help, and financial details are worked out afterward.
The Solution: Trusted technology
FET Subsea
FET Subsea’s engineering and manufacturing capabilities are central to ensuring the SRV is not only robust enough to perform these tasks but also technologically advanced enough to provide a reliable, rapid rescue in moments of crisis.
With a legacy steeped in Subsea precision engineering, the company has carved a niche for itself in producing subsea vehicles that push the boundaries of what can be accomplished.
Each SRV built here brings together innovative materials, advanced control systems, and complex electronics - all designed and manufactured to handle the unforgiving pressures of the ocean's depths.
Analox
At Analox, our commitment to ensuring the safety of submariners drives us to continually innovate in life-support technology.
Our atmospheric monitoring systems provide the critical technology that ensures the safety of the crew during the operation — by protecting the air they breathe, they are designed to monitor and maintain optimal gas levels, providing critical information about oxygen depletion, CO₂ buildup, and other potentially dangerous gases.
This is particularly important as time is often a key factor in rescue missions, and atmospheric conditions can change rapidly. By working with Forum, we can ensure that every rescue mission is equipped with the most reliable and advanced technology available.
Engineering & Manufacturing
Challenges Unique to SRVs
LR11
Designing and building a Submarine Rescue Vehicle like the latest version, LR11, is no simple task.
These vehicles operate in one of the most unforgiving environments on earth - deep below the ocean's surface, where intense pressure, limited visibility, and confined spaces pose unique challenges.
The FET Subsea facility in Kirkbymoorside plays a critical role in SRV development, with its specialised testing environments, including a 600-cubic-metre test pool and hyperbaric chambers, ensuring the vehicles are rigorously tested before they are deployed for real-life rescue operations.
Sub MkIIIF
In collaboration with FET Subsea, we integrate our sophisticated atmospheric monitoring systems into the Submarine Rescue Vehicles they develop.
One of the key aspects of this partnership is the implementation of our Analox SubMKIIIF technology, which we design and manufacture at our Stokesley headquarters.
This system continuously monitors the levels of essential gases to ensure that the atmosphere remains stable and breathable during critical rescue missions.
Our work in this field is mission-critical for submarine survival, particularly when submariners are exposed to dangerous gases or reduced oxygen levels.
Strategic Collaboration:
A Unified Vision, The Yorkshire Advantage
The collaboration between FET Subsea and Analox represents a strategic alignment of two industry leaders with complementary expertise and serves as a great example of how regional partnerships can drive technological innovation and deliver solutions that make a meaningful impact on a global scale.
The result of this collaboration is a sophisticated and highly effective rescue vehicle designed to perform optimally in deep-sea conditions.
This system has been engineered to address the complex requirements of modern submarine rescue missions, incorporating the latest advancements in both subsea technology and safety monitoring.
At the core of this partnership is trust. Submarine rescue isn’t just about technology—it’s about safeguarding lives. When a submarine crew is in peril, they need to trust that the systems they rely on will work flawlessly. Forum Energy Technologies and Analox have proven time and time again that they deliver reliable, life-saving technology.
Trust is built on consistency, precision, and expertise that contributes to the international submarine rescue community by setting new standards for safety and performance.
As the world continues to face the challenges of underwater operations, the contributions of FET Subsea and Analox will remain essential in safeguarding lives and advancing the field of submarine rescue.
Their success is a testament to the critical role that science, engineering, and collaboration play in overcoming the most formidable challenges of the deep sea.
People relying on technology and technology relying on people
Submarine Rescue may be driven by technology, but it is ultimately about people. At the core of every submarine rescue mission are the highly trained professionals who embody a profound sense of duty and responsibility.
These individuals – pilots, rescue divers, engineers, and crew – undergo rigorous training and prepare relentlessly for the day when their expertise might be called upon.
Their expertise, resolve, and devotion to this crucial mission are deserving of the highest respect. Their work is often unseen, but their commitment is unwavering.
They deserve our deepest gratitude for their courage, dedication, and willingness to face the unknown, ensuring the safety of submariners in even the most dangerous circumstances.
The technology is essential, but it’s their determination that makes it all possible.
The success of our partnership signals a promising future for both Analox and FET Subsea as we explore further innovations. The global submarine rescue market is growing, driven by increased maritime activity, both commercial and military. As operations go deeper and last longer, the need for reliable and advanced monitoring solutions is set to increase. Both companies are well-positioned to meet these demands cementing Yorkshire’s place as a global leader in submarine rescue and safety.
The future of submarine rescue will undoubtedly rely on continued innovation, with systems becoming faster, more efficient, and capable of handling deeper and more complex rescues. With over 500 military submarines worldwide, the need for advanced submarine rescue technology is becoming more critical. The LR11 SRV stands as a testament to this global effort, combining the best of British engineering & Manufacturing with an international vision for safety and rescue.
Young engineers and scientists entering the industry today will inherit a legacy of innovation, one that began in the depths of the sea. Yorkshire’s contribution to this legacy, led by companies like Analox and Forum, will continue to shape how the world responds to crises below the waves.
Inspiring the next generation to engage with this field means shining a light on the stories of bravery and the ever-evolving technology designed to save lives, while also showcasing the ingenious research that could someday push the boundaries of underwater rescue even further. Submarine rescue isn’t just about survival – it’s about human ingenuity and pushing technological limits, and it just might be the ‘dare to be great’ environment you are looking for to fulfil your true potential. That’s the kind of career that doesn’t just challenge you – it transforms you. It’s not just a job. It’s a calling. And for those willing to answer it, the opportunities are as deep as the ocean itself.
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