Lethal Pressure Crush 81 _top_

This is the "Lethal Pressure Crush." And in 1981, it happened during a routine systems test. The year is 1981. The Cold War is at its peak. The US Navy is pushing the limits of stealth technology with the Seawolf class predecessor program (codenamed Project Silent Depth). A new type of experimental submersible vehicle—designated the DSV-X81 —is undergoing pressure hull certification at the Naval Surface Warfare Center's Carderock Division, specifically using the massive hyperbaric chamber known as the "Pressure Dome."

The practice, however, was a nightmare waiting to happen. Lethal Pressure Crush 81

Three engineers were standing on a gantry outside the hyperbaric chamber when the implosion occurred. The chamber itself—designed to withstand 10,000 psi—survived intact. However, the hydraulic seals on the viewport blew out. This is the "Lethal Pressure Crush