UNDERWATER PAINTING OF LARGE SURFACES.

The three areas of surface preparation, correct application and maintenance of the paint film are of critical importance in dealing with underwater painting and this paper devotes attention to each of them. It also covers the range of automatic machines available and the most suitable for the future. The use of fully automatic cleaning and painting represents a major technological breakthrough in the Offshore Industry and will be welcomed by all operators. For the purposes of this paper a satisfactory underwater paint finish will be considered to be a paint film of a minimum of 0. 125 mm (0. 005 in. ) applied at a minimum rate of 0. 5 m**2 per second and the finished job having a lifetime of at least five years.