Submarine Damage Control Suit ‘Steam Suit’

Propel was awarded a Phase III contract to use the efforts of our Phase I Stitchless R&D to design,
build, and prototype an improved Damage Control Suit for submarine use. The design brief described one suit to fit anyone from 5ʼ2” to 6ʼ4”. Propel was able to meet this extraordinary design challenge by creating an innovative self-adjusting fit solution system to stretch and withdraw to tailor to any height within the given range.

Propel designed the next generation of protective gear for emergency responders combating steam line leaks onboard submarines. Compared to the (2) piece incumbent ensemble, we managed to reduce weight by 42%, create better mobility and comfort for users, provide easy access to the Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), and cut the donning time by 50%.

The Steam Suit made was featured at the 2017 Navy League Sea, Air, and Space Expo in NAVSUPʼs Innovation booth earlier this year. The suits are currently out for field testing on 3 out of the 4 classes of U.S. Navy submarines.

Click Here to download Technical Report No. T16-13, May 2016, Heat Strain Evaluation of US Navy Steam Suit Ensembles”, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine