SCP-6581 — SCP-6581 | Cost Breakdown

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SCP-6581 Safe ~ medium confidence

SCP-6581

Expected annual

$3.9M

One-time setup

$12.3M

Annual recurring

$3.8M

Personnel

Estimated one-time capital and contingency needs are approximately $12,310,000, with ongoing annual operations around $3,782,500; the largest cost drivers are permanent-seal/endowment, contingency funds/excavation contingencies, structural stabilization and recurring patrol/ROV/logistics and staff wages.

🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $12.3M

Permanent Seal Endowment $3.0M

[#24] Endowment-sized one-time allocation to fund permanent-seal long-term monitoring and maintenance (representative mid-range).

Excavation Contingency $1.8M

[#29] Contingency allocation for a later-authorized small-scale underwater archaeological excavation (specialist divers, extended charters, conservation surge).

Facilities $1.6M

[#2, #4] Upgrades/installations to watertight airlock and redundancy systems (#2) plus structural stabilization and erosion control of exposed stonework and shore-to-deck reinforcement (#4).

Contingency Fund $1.2M

[#23] Reserved contingency/emergency fund for rapid charter of larger ships, specialist salvage, or legal/PR crisis response.

Rov Procurement $900K

[#8] Purchase of at least one work-class ROV and additional observation-class units / spares (representative procurement cost).

Initial Research And Lab Setup $675K

[#17, #18] Conservation lab setup for artifacts and initial scientific analysis capability (dating/metallurgy/isotope equipment) (#17, #18).

Power Infrastructure $600K

[#7] Deployment of a reliable subsea power solution (chosen: subsea cable/deployment option representative cost).

Equipment $500K

[#6, #19] Environmental monitoring sensor network hardware and installed devices (#6) and secure data/communications/server hardware (#19).

Paranormal Capability Setup $300K

[#15] Initial capability buildout for paranormal/arcane containment research and materials procurement.

Public Relations Contingency One Time $300K

[#25] One-time funds reserved for aggressive PR/legal suppression if civilian discovery occurs.

Automated Rapid Seal Install $250K

[#14] Installation of automated mechanical closures, pressure-equalization systems and independent manual overrides.

Site Survey And Mapping $200K

[#1] High-resolution sonar, photogrammetry, and close ROV inspection to document condition, map entrances, and locate automata and murals.

Cathodic Protection Setup $188K

[#5] Setup of sacrificial anodes/impressed-current systems and initial metal conservation for corrosion control.

Automata Monitoring Development $188K

[#16] Development costs for specialized non-invasive detection and remote deterrent systems for SCP-6581-1.

Cover Story Initial $175K

[#11] One-time legal/diplomatic/cover-story setup: false records, permits, and initial local liaison payments.

Hyperbaric Chamber Setup $175K

[#12] Hyperbaric chamber purchase and setup for diver medical readiness.

Spare Parts Stockpile Initial $125K

[#22] Initial stockpile of subsea spare parts (O-rings, seals, actuators, connectors, housings).

Environmental Impact Study $60K

[#27] Initial environmental compliance and permitting studies to provide cover and avoid fines.

Decontamination Setup $50K

[#28] Setup for sterilization equipment, PPE, and biohazard decontamination for bone material handling.

🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $3.8M/yr

Staff Wages $1.1M/yr

[#12, #13, #15, #17, #8] Ongoing wages/readiness for on-call emergency response team (#12), security personnel rotations (#13), paranormal/containment research staffing (#15), conservation lab staff portion (#17), and ROV pilots/operators (portion of #8).

Research And Monitoring $940K/yr

[#6, #8, #9, #16, #18] Sensor network comms/maintenance (#6), ROV program operations/maintenance non-wage portion (#8), scheduled ROV inspection campaigns non-wage portion (#9), automata monitoring maintenance/tests (#16), and ongoing scientific analysis contracts (#18).

Logistics And Transport $875K/yr

[#10, #20] Dedicated patrol/enforcement charter or operational costs (#10) and vessel fuel/crew transit and accommodation for rotating teams (#20).

Supplies And Consumables $222K/yr

[#21, #22, #17, #28] Consumables and routine supplies (hydraulic oil, sealants, PPE) (#21), spare-parts replenishment (#22), conservation lab supplies portion (#17), and decontamination supplies/disposal (#28).

Administrative Overhead $188K/yr

[#30] Project management, payroll processing, vetting, and classified program accounting overhead (#30).

Facilities Maintenance $145K/yr

[#3, #5, #14, #27] Routine airlock/seal maintenance and spare-seal inventory (#3), cathodic protection/corrosion-control maintenance (#5), rapid-seal system maintenance (#14), and ongoing environmental compliance monitoring (#27).

Cover Story And Legal $110K/yr

[#11, #25] Ongoing legal/diplomatic/cover-story maintenance and occasional payments to ensure non-disclosure (#11) plus recurring PR/containment contingency funding (#25).

Data Secure Comms $65K/yr

[#19] Encrypted satellite links, bandwidth, secure servers and storage maintenance/backups (#19).

Power Energy $60K/yr

[#7] Ongoing energy costs or battery/buoy replacement program for sensors and active systems (#7).

Training And Drills $38K/yr

[#26] Regular tabletop and field drills, procedural documentation, and training exercises (#26).

⚡ Cost Scenarios

📊 Baseline (baseline) $3.8M/yr

87.5% probability / year

Normal year with regular inspections, maintenance, and no major incidents.

scheduled_inspections routine_maintenance no_intrusions_or_breaches

🚨 Minor Incident $4.3M/yr

10.0% probability / year +$500K vs baseline

Localized seal degradation or small intrusion requiring rapid response, repairs, and limited PR/legal work.

seal_failure small_inundation limited_discovery_by_civilians

🚨 Major Breach $6.3M/yr

2.0% probability / year +$2.5M vs baseline

Significant breach or automata activation requiring large-scale salvage, containment escalation, and legal/PR response.

structural_collapse multiple_seal_failures SCP-6581-1_activation

🚨 Archaeological Excavation $5.8M/yr

0.5% probability / year +$2.0M vs baseline

Authorized project year to open sealed chamber for excavation and recovery (planned contingency executed).

policy_decision_to_exhume extended_diver_charters surge_conservation_and_analysis

👥 Personnel 16 total

Role	Count	Notes
Security Officer / MTF Agent	5	[#13] Shore-side and vessel rotation security personnel for patrols and site operations.
On-call Emergency Response / Diver Med Specialists	4	[#12] Trained salvage/hyperbaric divers and medical staff for entrapments, flooding events, and specialist response readiness.
Research Scientist / Paranormal Containment Staff	3	[#15, #18] Staff conducting paranormal containment research, analysis, and ongoing scientific contracts.
ROV Pilot / Operator	2	[#8, #9] ROV pilots and operators for routine inspection campaigns and intervention tasks.
Conservation Technician / Lab Staff	2	[#17] Conservation lab technicians handling artifact stabilization, sampling, and lab operations.

📋 Confidence Notes

Estimates are based on analyst-provided ranges and canonical containment practices; uncertainty remains due to choices between infrastructure options (cable vs. buoy), unpredictable anomalous behavior, and contingent decisions (excavation or permanent sealing).

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