Deep Submergence Vehicle
Encyclopedia
A Deep Sea Submergence Vehicle (DSV) is a deep diving
manned submarine
that is self-propelled. The term DSV is generally one used by the United States Navy
, though several navies operate vehicles that can be accurately described as DSVs. DSVs are commonly divided into two types: research DSVs, which are used for exploration and surveying, and DSRVs (Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle
), which can be used for rescuing the crew of a sunken submarine and/or clandestine (espionage) missions (primarily installing wiretaps on undersea cables). DSRV type vessels are equipped with docking chambers to allow personnel ingress/egress via a manhole.
The real-life feasibility of any DSRV-based rescue attempt is hotly debated, because the few available docking chambers of a stricken submarine may be flooded, trapping the sailors still alive in other dry compartments. Because of these difficulties, the use of integrated crew escape capsules and/or detachable conning tower has gained favour in military submarine design during the last two decades and most DSRV are now primarily relegated to clandestine missions and undersea military equipment maintenance, if at all. The rapid development of safe, cost-saving ROV technology has also rendered some DSV vessels obsolete.
Strictly speaking bathyscaphe
s are not submarines because they have minimal mobility and are built like a balloon, using a habitable spherical pressure vessel hung under a liquid hydrocarbon filled float drum. In a DSV/DSRV type vehicle the passenger compartment and the ballast tank functionality is incorporated into a single structure to afford more habitable space (up to 24 people in the case of a DSRV rescue vehicle).
Most DSV/DSRV vehicles are powered by traditional electric battery propulsion and have very limited endurance. Plans have been made to equip DSVs with LOX
Stirling engine
s but none have been realized so far, due to cost and maintenance considerations. All DSV vehicles are dependent upon a surface support ship or a mother submarine, that can piggyback or tow them (in case of the NR-1) to the scene of operations. Some DSRV vessels are air transportable in very large military cargo planes to speed up deployment in case of emergency rescue missions.
, owned by the Office of Naval Research
(ONR) is operated under agreement by the National Deep Submergence Facility at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
(WHOI), where it conducts science oriented missions funded by the National Science Foundation
(NSF), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) and ONR. Alvin has a maximum depth capability of 4500 meters and operates from R/V Atlantis, an AGOR-23 class vessel owned by the ONR and operated by WHOI under a charter party agreement. The NSF has committed to the construction of a replacement sub with enhanced capabilities and 6500 meter depth capability to replace Alvin, which will be retired upon its completion.
s are three person research submersibles built by International Hydrodynamics of Vancouver
in British Columbia
with a maximum operating depth of 2,000 m (6,560 ft) capable of dive durations of 7 to 10 hours. A total of 10 were built and are representative of late 1960s deep ocean submersible design. 2 are currently operated by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
and the first production vehicle is on display in Vancouver.
, and there are three derivatives known to exist by 2010:
Deep diving
The meaning of the term deep diving is a form of technical diving. It is defined by the level of the diver's diver training, diving equipment, breathing gas, and surface support:...
manned submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
that is self-propelled. The term DSV is generally one used by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, though several navies operate vehicles that can be accurately described as DSVs. DSVs are commonly divided into two types: research DSVs, which are used for exploration and surveying, and DSRVs (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...
), which can be used for rescuing the crew of a sunken submarine and/or clandestine (espionage) missions (primarily installing wiretaps on undersea cables). DSRV type vessels are equipped with docking chambers to allow personnel ingress/egress via a manhole.
The real-life feasibility of any DSRV-based rescue attempt is hotly debated, because the few available docking chambers of a stricken submarine may be flooded, trapping the sailors still alive in other dry compartments. Because of these difficulties, the use of integrated crew escape capsules and/or detachable conning tower has gained favour in military submarine design during the last two decades and most DSRV are now primarily relegated to clandestine missions and undersea military equipment maintenance, if at all. The rapid development of safe, cost-saving ROV technology has also rendered some DSV vessels obsolete.
Strictly speaking bathyscaphe
Bathyscaphe
A bathyscaphe is a free-diving self-propelled deep-sea submersible, consisting of a crew cabin similar to a bathysphere, but suspended below a float rather than from a surface cable, as in the classic bathysphere design....
s are not submarines because they have minimal mobility and are built like a balloon, using a habitable spherical pressure vessel hung under a liquid hydrocarbon filled float drum. In a DSV/DSRV type vehicle the passenger compartment and the ballast tank functionality is incorporated into a single structure to afford more habitable space (up to 24 people in the case of a DSRV rescue vehicle).
Most DSV/DSRV vehicles are powered by traditional electric battery propulsion and have very limited endurance. Plans have been made to equip DSVs with LOX
Lox
Lox is salmon fillet that has been cured. In its most popular form, it is thinly sliced—less than in thickness—and, typically, served on a bagel, often with cream cheese, onion, tomato, cucumber and capers...
Stirling engine
Stirling engine
A Stirling engine is a heat engine operating by cyclic compression and expansion of air or other gas, the working fluid, at different temperature levels such that there is a net conversion of heat energy to mechanical work....
s but none have been realized so far, due to cost and maintenance considerations. All DSV vehicles are dependent upon a surface support ship or a mother submarine, that can piggyback or tow them (in case of the NR-1) to the scene of operations. Some DSRV vessels are air transportable in very large military cargo planes to speed up deployment in case of emergency rescue missions.
Trieste class bathyscaphe
- FNRS-2FNRS-2The FNRS-2 was the first bathyscaphe. It was created by Auguste Piccard. Work started in 1937 but was interrupted by World War II. The deep-diving submarine was finished in 1948. The bathyscaphe was named after the Belgian Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique , the funding organization for...
- the predecessor to Trieste - FNRS-3FNRS-3The FNRS-3 or FNRS III is a bathyscaphe of the French Navy. It is currently presevered at Toulon. She set world depth records, competing against a more refined version of her design, the first Bathyscaphe Trieste...
- contemporary of Trieste I - DSV-0 TriesteBathyscaphe TriesteThe Trieste is a Swiss-designed, Italian-built deep-diving research bathyscaphe with a crew of two, which reached a record maximum depth of about , in the deepest known part of the Earth's oceans, the Challenger Deep, in the Mariana Trench near Guam, on January 23, 1960, crewed by Jacques Piccard ...
— the X-1 Trieste bathyscapheBathyscapheA bathyscaphe is a free-diving self-propelled deep-sea submersible, consisting of a crew cabin similar to a bathysphere, but suspended below a float rather than from a surface cable, as in the classic bathysphere design....
has reached Challenger DeepChallenger DeepThe Challenger Deep is the deepest known point in the oceans, with a depth of to by direct measurement from submersibles, and slightly more by sonar bathymetry . It is located at the southern end of the Mariana Trench near the Mariana Islands group...
, the world's deepest seabed. It was retired in 1966. - DSV-1 X-2 Trieste IIBathyscaphe Trieste IITrieste II ' was the successor to Trieste — the United States Navy's first bathyscaphe purchased from its Swiss designers. The original Trieste design was heavily modified by the Naval Electronics Laboratory in San Diego, California and built at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard...
— an updated bathyscathe (or bathyscaph) design, participated in clandestine missions, it was retired in 1984.
Alvin class submarine
AlvinDSV Alvin
Alvin is a manned deep-ocean research submersible owned by the United States Navy and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The vehicle was built by General Mills' Electronics Group in the same factory used to manufacture breakfast cereal-producing...
, owned by the Office of Naval Research
Office of Naval Research
The Office of Naval Research , headquartered in Arlington, Virginia , is the office within the United States Department of the Navy that coordinates, executes, and promotes the science and technology programs of the U.S...
(ONR) is operated under agreement by the National Deep Submergence Facility at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of all aspects of marine science and engineering and to the education of marine researchers. Established in 1930, it is the largest independent oceanographic research...
(WHOI), where it conducts science oriented missions funded by the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
(NSF), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
(NOAA) and ONR. Alvin has a maximum depth capability of 4500 meters and operates from R/V Atlantis, an AGOR-23 class vessel owned by the ONR and operated by WHOI under a charter party agreement. The NSF has committed to the construction of a replacement sub with enhanced capabilities and 6500 meter depth capability to replace Alvin, which will be retired upon its completion.
- DSV-2 AlvinDSV AlvinAlvin is a manned deep-ocean research submersible owned by the United States Navy and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The vehicle was built by General Mills' Electronics Group in the same factory used to manufacture breakfast cereal-producing...
— a deep diving sub, has 4500 meter depth capability, WHOI. - DSV-3 Turtle — Alvin's identical sibling, retired 1998, USN.
- DSV-4 Sea Cliff — another Alvin class DSV sub, retired 1998, returned to active service on September 30, 2002, Sea Cliff has 6000 meter depth capability, USN.
- DSV-5 Nemo — another Alvin class DSV sub, retired 1998, USN.
Nerwin class DSVN
- NR-1 Nerwin — US Navy nuclear powered research and clandestine DSV submarine, which can roll on the seabed using large balloon wheels.
Aluminaut
- AluminautAluminautAluminaut was built in 1964 and was the world's first aluminum submarine. The 80-ton, 51 foot manned deep-ocean research submersible was built by Reynolds Metals Company, which was seeking to advertise the utility of aluminum...
— a DSV made completely of aluminum by the Reynolds MetalsReynolds MetalsReynolds Group Holdings is an American packaging company with its roots in the Reynolds Metals Company, was the second largest aluminum company in the United States, and the third largest in the world...
Aluminum Company, for the US Navy, once held the submarine deep diving record. It is no longer operational.
Priz
- Priz — a DSRV class of five ships built by the USSR and Russia. The titaniumTitaniumTitanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
-hulled Priz class are capable of diving to 1000 meters. These mini-submarines can ferry up to 20 people for very brief periods of time (in case of a rescue mission) or operate submerged for two to three days with a regular crew of three to four specialists. In early 2005, the Russian AS-28 Priz vessel was trapped undersea and subsequently freed by a BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
ROVRovRov is a Talmudic concept which means the majority.It is based on the passage in Exodus 23;2: "after the majority to wrest" , which in Rabbinic interpretation means, that you shall accept things as the majority....
in a successful international rescue effort.
Mir
- MirMIR (submersible)Mir is a self-propelled Deep Submergence Vehicle. The project was initially developed by the USSR Academy of Sciences along with Design Bureau Lazurith. Later two vehicles were ordered from Finland...
— a strictly civilian (research) class of two DSVs which were manufactured in FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
for the USSR. These bathyscaphe-derived vessels can carry three people down to depths of 6000 meters. After visiting and filming the RMS Titanic's wreck, two Mir submersibles and their support ship were loaned to a US Pacific trench surveying mission in the late 1990s and made important discoveries concerning sulphuric based life in "black smokers".
Konsul
- Konsul — a new class of Russian military DVS's, currently undergoing final acceptance trials before the official commissioning into the Navy. They are somewhat smaller than the Mirs, accommodating a crew of two instead of three, but are purely domestically produced vessels and have a higher maximum depth due to their titaniumTitaniumTitanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
pressure hulls: during the tests the original Konsul dove to the 6,270 m.
Nautile
- NautileNautileThe Nautile is a manned submersible owned by Ifremer, the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea. Commissioned in 1984, the submersible can be operated at depths of up to ....
— a DSV owned by Ifremer, the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea. The titaniumTitaniumTitanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
-hulled Nautile is capable of diving to 6000 meters.
Shinkai
- DSV ShinkaiDSV ShinkaiThe Shinkai 6500 is a manned research submersible that can dive up to a depth of 6,500 m. It was completed in 1990 and has the greatest depth range of any manned research vehicle in the world. The only manned expedition to have gone deeper was the dive of the Trieste bathyscaphe in 1960. However,...
— JAMSTEC (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology) operates a DSV-series called Shinkai ("Deep Sea"). The latest DSV is Shinkai 6500 which can submerge to 6500 m (4 miles) with three crew members. JAMSTEC was operating a ROVRovRov is a Talmudic concept which means the majority.It is based on the passage in Exodus 23;2: "after the majority to wrest" , which in Rabbinic interpretation means, that you shall accept things as the majority....
called KaikoKaikowas a remotely operated underwater vehicle built by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology for exploration of the deep sea. Kaikō was the second of only three vessels ever to reach the bottom of the Challenger Deep, as of 2010...
, which was able to submerge to 11,000 m (6.8 miles), but was lost at sea in May 2003.
Pisces class DSV
Pisces class DSVPisces class DSV
Pisces class submersibles are three person research deep-submergence vehicles designed and built by Hyco International Hydrodynamics of North Vancouver in British Columbia with a maximum operating depth of 2,000 m . The vehicles have multiple view ports, sample collecting, environmental sensing,...
s are three person research submersibles built by International Hydrodynamics of Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
with a maximum operating depth of 2,000 m (6,560 ft) capable of dive durations of 7 to 10 hours. A total of 10 were built and are representative of late 1960s deep ocean submersible design. 2 are currently operated by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
and the first production vehicle is on display in Vancouver.
Sea Pole class bathyscaphe
Bathyscaphe series designed by the People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, and there are three derivatives known to exist by 2010:
- Sea Pole class bathyscapheSea Pole class bathyscapheThe Sea Pole class bathyscaphe is a class of little known bathyscaphe of the People's Republic of China , capable of diving up to 7,000 metres, covering 99.8% of the oceanic floor of the world...
: 2 built - Dragon class bathyscapheJiaolong (submersible)Jiaolong （）is a Chinese manned deep-sea research submersible. It had its first test in South China Sea between May 31 and July 18, 2010, reaching a depth of with three crew members on board. On July 22, 2011, Jiaolong reached a depth of in northeastern Pacific. The five-hour mission included...
(Jiaolong): Developed from Sea Pole class, 1 built. - Harmony class bathyscaphe: Developed from Dragon class, 1 built.
other DSV bathyscaphes
- Bathyscaphe Archimede — French-made bathyscaphe, operated around the time of the Trieste.
- FNRS-4
Deepest explorers
-
Bathyscaphe TriesteBathyscaphe TriesteThe Trieste is a Swiss-designed, Italian-built deep-diving research bathyscaphe with a crew of two, which reached a record maximum depth of about , in the deepest known part of the Earth's oceans, the Challenger Deep, in the Mariana Trench near Guam, on January 23, 1960, crewed by Jacques Piccard ...
- 11,000 m -
DSV Shinkai 6500 - 6,500 m -
Konsul - 6,500 m - MIRMIR (submersible)Mir is a self-propelled Deep Submergence Vehicle. The project was initially developed by the USSR Academy of Sciences along with Design Bureau Lazurith. Later two vehicles were ordered from Finland...
- 6,000 m -
NautileNautileThe Nautile is a manned submersible owned by Ifremer, the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea. Commissioned in 1984, the submersible can be operated at depths of up to ....
- 6,000 m -
JiaolongJiaolong (submersible)Jiaolong （）is a Chinese manned deep-sea research submersible. It had its first test in South China Sea between May 31 and July 18, 2010, reaching a depth of with three crew members on board. On July 22, 2011, Jiaolong reached a depth of in northeastern Pacific. The five-hour mission included...
- 5,000 m - DSV AlvinDSV AlvinAlvin is a manned deep-ocean research submersible owned by the United States Navy and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The vehicle was built by General Mills' Electronics Group in the same factory used to manufacture breakfast cereal-producing...
- 4,500 m- Figures rounded to nearest 500 metres
External links
- http://users.skynet.be/RonSubCovers/DSRV/USA%20DSRV%20Index.htm
- http://ussubvetsofworldwarii.org/ss_submarines/submarinelist.html
- http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrservicecraft/c_DSV.htm
- http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrservicecraft/c_DSRV.htm
- http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/factfile/ships/ship-dsrv.html
- http://www.jamstec.go.jp/jamstec-e/ships/index.html
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8080324.stm