Nodule mining—three miles deep!

Manganese nodules were known to exist at the bottom of many of the world's oceans as early as the 1870s. Interest was rekindled in the 1960s when it appeared the world would need new sources of nickel to supply the increasing demand for jet engines, magnets, ovens, heating elements and high quality stainless steel for corrosion resistance. By 1975 there were five consortia working on developing an economical system to tap this resource. This is the account of the “INCO”; consortium, which was the first to retrieve a large quantity of nodules for further tests in their pilot refinery. The article covers the project from the time the author was first charged with “do something about nodules”; to the shut down of the project after its successful completion. The staff and corporate organization is covered as well as exploration methods and a detailed description of each major component of the mining system.