For the SEALAB II project, the U. S. Naval Ordnance Test Station was assigned responsibility for all surface operational support. The underwater site was selected in cooperation with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. A staging area was established at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard and a staging vessel was provided and modified to meet the needs of the program. Complete system integration and checkout were performed. All necessary operational support, personnel, equipment, and material were supplied. (Author)

"Sealab" tells the story of how the U.S. Navy program tried to develop the marine equivalent of the space station--and why the Navy pulled the plug. Hellwarth has interviewed surviving members of the three Sealab experiments in addition to conducting archival research to tell this first comprehensive story about the Sealab program.