Submarine Committee

Committee Overview

The Submarine Committee focuses on the development and use of human-occupied submersibles, which play a critical role in scientific discovery and underwater operations. It brings together professionals across sectors to support innovation while promoting safety, reliability, and effective design.

The committee also serves as a central resource for the global submersible community—sharing technical information, tracking active vehicles and operators, and highlighting ongoing developments and activities in the field.

Advancing Submersible Technology

We promote the development and use of human-occupied underwater vehicles in scientific and commercial applications.

Standards, Safety & Collaboration

We collaborate with professional societies and regulatory agencies to support safe, reliable design and operation.

Technical Resources & Knowledge Sharing

We disseminate technical information and maintain resources related to submersibles, operators, and manufacturers.

Community & Events

We share updates, announcements, and highlights from the community, including events such as the Annual Submarine Symposium.

Upcoming Events

No upcoming events

Committee Leadership

Chair

William Kohnen, President & CEO - Hydrospace
wkohnen@hydrospacegroup.com

Mr. William Kohnen is President/CEO of Hydrospace Group which provides expert knowledge in pressure vessels and underwater vehicle systems. With 25 years experience in space and subsea engineering, the expertise extends to pressure applications in medical, commercial and naval subsea vehicles as well as nuclear containment systems. Hydrospace offers a full array of engineering analysis capabilities, integrated project management, design and fabrication solutions and testing for manned and unmanned systems, sub-systems and components. Mr. Kohnen is also co-founder of SEAmagine Hydrospace Corp. which specializes in the design and construction of manned submersibles.

Mr. Kohnen has a background in aerospace with a B.Eng and M.Sc. Electrical Engineering from McGill University, Canada. Mr. Kohnen has a broad range of field operations planning and management expertise with manned submersibles coupled with an extensive technical knowledge of critical sub-systems including Pressure Vessels for Human Occupancy, high reliability power & propulsion, life support, launch & recovery and emergency systems for certification with ABS, US Coast Guard and Cayman Islands Shipping Registry. His extensive field experience includes operations in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, US Pacific Coast, Central America and Australia. Mr. Kohnen has been chair of the Marine Technology Society Manned Underwater Vehicles Committee since 2003 and organizes the yearly MTS MUV program at the Underwater Intervention conference to cover the many issues regarding the manned submersible industry.

Mr. Kohnen is an active member of the ASME Pressure Vessel for Human Occupancy (PVHO) Committee and of the Deep Submersible Pilot Association. He is also engaged as an industry representative on the ALVIN Replacement HOV Oversight Committee (RHOC) and is a member of the ABS Special Committee on Underwater Systems and Vehicles.