Page 175 - (DK) Ocean - The Definitive Visual Guide

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Exploration with Submersibles

Submersibles are underwater vehicles, smaller than
TYPES OF SUBMERSIBLES
submarines, used mainly for exploration, scientific
study of the oceans, and recreation. First developed in DEEPFLIGHT SUPER FALCON
the 1960s, they have helped open up the deep ocean The latest of several submersibles
designed by American engineer
to exploration. Modern submersibles include manned Graham Hawkes, the Super
vehicles of various types and Remotely Operated Falcon is an underwater vehicle
intended mainly for private
Vehicles (ROVs), which are unmanned Remotely recreational exploration. It “flies”
Operated Vehicles. Some recent designs no longer through the water, carrying two
people down to 400 ft (120 m).
depend on ballast and buoyancy tanks to control
descent and ascent, instead using technologies
originally developed for flight. C-QUESTER
A famous manned submersible is Alvin, operated by Developed by Netherlands-
the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (US). In SHALLOW EXPLORATION based company U-boat
Worx, C-Quester
1977, Alvin’s crew discovered the first hydrothermal submersibles allow one
vents (see pp. 188-89) and, in 1986, it was involved in or two people to explore
exploring the wreckage of the Titanic. During 2011- down to 330 ft (100 m).
2013, Alvin underwent a complete rebuild. Along with
Shinkai 6500 (Japan), Jiaolong (China), and others, it
PISCES IV An example of a Deep
belongs to a class known as Deep Submergence Submergence Vehicle (DSV) used in
Vehicles or DSVs. These are mostly used for scientific scientific research, Pisces IV is owned
and operated by the Hawaii Undersea
research. Other submersibles include ROVs, which are Research Laboratory. It carries three
usually connected to a surface vessel by a tether, and people and can operate down to
6,600 ft (2,000 m).
those used mainly for shallow water recreation. The
more sophisticated ROVs can drill cores in the sea
floor and take sonar surveys, as well as record images. MULTI-PERSON DEEPWATER RESEARCH SHINKAI 6500
Launched in 1989 by the
Japan Marine Science and
6500 is one of the
Into the Deep Technology Center, Shinkai
deeper-diving DSVs. In June
Recreational vehicles, such as the Super Falcon, generally 2013, it transmitted the
world’s first live broadcast
descend to depths of no more than 660 ft (200 m). Most from 16,500 ft (5,000 m).
DSVs and ROVs have maximum depths varying from
3,300 ft (1,000 m) to 23,000 ft (7,000 m), but a few can
go to the deepest spot in the oceans, the Challenger Deep of
the Mariana Trench at 36,100 ft (11,000 m). As of early 2014,
only two DSVs (including Deepsea Challenger) and two ROVs
—Kaiko (Japan) and Nereus (US) have ever achieved this feat.

scuba diver
C-Quester Sea Level
Deepflight
Super Falcon
3,300 ft
nuclear submarine
(1,000 m)
White shark
6,500 ft
(2,000 m) REMOTELY OPERATED VEHICLES (ROVS)
Pisces class DSV
9,800 ft
gulper eel (3,000 m)
Hercules ROV
13,100 ft HERCULES ROV A fairly typical ROV, Hercules can descend to a
Alvin (4,000 m) depth of 13,500 ft (4,000 m) and take high-definition images. It is
16,400 ft equipped with six thrusters that allow it to “fly” in any direction,
(5,000 m) like a helicopter. Slightly positively buoyant, it will gently float up
19,700 ft to the surface if its thrusters stop turning.
shinkai (6,000 m)
23,000 ft DEEPSEA CHALLENGER
jiaolong
(7,000 m) This 24-ft- (7.3-m)- long
26,300 ft submersible reached the OCEAN ENVIRONMENTS
(8,000 m) Challenger Deep in March
29,500 ft 2012, carrying the film
(9,000 m) director James Cameron.
Deepsea RACE TO INNER SPACE In doing so, it won what
Challenger 32,800 ft had been called the “race
(10,000 m) to inner space”—the first
Nereus ROV 36,100 ft solo manned mission to
(11,000 m) reach the deepest spot in
the oceans.