Underwater repair of electromechanical cables

Underwater repair of electromechanical cables can be reliably accomplished by divers with a minimum amount of training and off-the-shelf materials. The technique combines the use of standard electrical wire crimping equipment, tygon tubing, and RTV to accomplish the splice. The splices have been successfully tested in the Civil Engineering Laboratory´s (CEL) pressure vessel facility with cyclic pressures to 500 psig (34 atm) and temperatures to 3°C. These splices have also been used successfully to effect repairs at sea for both data and power conductors to depths of 70 ft (22 m). These simple techniques allow repair of electrical systems in-situ as opposed to resur- facing before effecting repairs.