An improved light source for underwater illumination

An improved underwater light system developed at the Naval Undersea Center is described. This light system has been designed for use with underwater television cameras on deep-diving submersibles. There are several features unique to this light system which improve its performance over existing underwater lights; among these are: short start and restart times, two different light sources for use in different spectrally selective waters, closed reflector design, and adjustable projection beam angle to complement different camera viewing field angles. The electronic and optical design considerations of the light system are described.