DSRV-1 Mystic is a Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle

Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle

A Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle is a type of Deep Submergence Vehicle used for rescue of downed submarines and clandestine missions. While DSRV is the term most often used by the United States Navy other nations have different designations for their vehicles.- Chinese models :The People's...

 that is rated to dive up to 1500 metres. DSRV1 was built by Lockheed for the U.S. Navy and launched 24 January 1970.

The senior engineer responsible for the project was Paul Philip Prelitz (father of Chris Prelitz

Chris Prelitz

Chris Prelitz is an environmental and green building advocate and author.Chris Prelitz lives in a net-zero solar powered home that Prelitz designed and built in Laguna Beach, California....

). Mr. Prelitz was also the senior engineer for the Sealab II "Man in the Sea" project.

Mystic was launched on 24 January 1970. The submarine, intended to be air transportable, was 50 feet (15.2 m) long, 8 feet (2.4 m) in diameter, and weighed 37 tons. The sub was capable of descending to 5000 feet (1,524 m) below the surface and could carry 24 passengers at a time in addition to its crew. The sub was stationed at North Island Naval Station

Naval Air Station North Island

Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island is located at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay and is the home port of several aircraft carriers of the United States Navy...

 in San Diego and was never required to conduct an actual rescue operation.

Mystic was decommissioned on September 30, 2008. The submarine may be donated to the Naval Undersea Museum

Naval Undersea Museum

The Naval Undersea Museum is an official naval museum located at Keyport, Washington, USA. The museum is one of the 12 Navy museums that are operated by the Naval History & Heritage Command. The museum sits next to a branch of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center...

.

In fiction

In fiction, it was used in the 1978 film Gray Lady Down

Gray Lady Down

Gray Lady Down is a 1978 disaster film by Universal Studios starring Charlton Heston, David Carradine, Stacy Keach, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox, and features the first film role for a young Christopher Reeve...

as a rescue vehicle following a submarine accident, as well as Tom Clancy

Tom Clancy

Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...

's novel The Hunt for Red October

The Hunt for Red October

The Hunt for Red October is a 1984 novel by Tom Clancy. The story follows the intertwined adventures of Soviet submarine captain Marko Aleksandrovich Ramius and CIA analyst Jack Ryan.The novel was originally published by the U.S...

and film based on it The Hunt for Red October

The Hunt for Red October (film)

The Hunt for Red October is a 1990 thriller film based on the novel of the same name by Tom Clancy. It was directed by John McTiernan and stars Sean Connery as Captain Marko Ramius and Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan...

to ferry men from the USS Dallas

USS Dallas (SSN-700)

USS Dallas is a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine of the United States Navy. It is the Navy's second ship of that name, and the first to be named for the city of Dallas, Texas, although another two ships were scheduled but never completed.-Career:The contract to build Dallas was...

to the Red October.