FNRS-2
Encyclopedia
The 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
(FNRS), the funding organization for the venture. FNRS also funded the FNRS-1
which was a balloon that set a world altitude record, also built by Piccard. The FNRS-2 set world diving records, besting those of the bathyspheres, as no unwieldy cable was required for diving. It was in turn bested by a more refined version of itself, the Bathyscaphe Trieste
.
FNRS-2 was built during 1946-1948. She was damaged during sea trials in 1948, off the Cape Verde Islands. FNRS-2 was sold to the French Navy when FNRS funding ran low, in 1948. The French rebuilt and rebaptised her FNRS-3
. She was eventually replaced by the FNRS-4. In February 1954 the FNRS-3 reached a depth of 4050 metres (13,287.4 ft) in the Atlantic, 160 miles off Dakar
, beating Piccard's 1953 record by 900 meters.
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....
. It was created by Auguste Piccard
Auguste Piccard
Auguste Antoine Piccard was a Swiss physicist, inventor and explorer.-Biography:Piccard and his twin brother Jean Felix were born in Basel, Switzerland...
. Work started in 1937 but was interrupted by World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The deep-diving submarine was finished in 1948. The bathyscaphe was named after the Belgian Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique
NFWO
The National Fund for Scientific Research is a government institution in Belgium for supporting scientific research...
(FNRS), the funding organization for the venture. FNRS also funded the FNRS-1
FNRS-1
The FNRS-1 was a balloon, built by Auguste Piccard, that set a world altitude record. It was named after the Belgian Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique, which funded the balloon....
which was a balloon that set a world altitude record, also built by Piccard. The FNRS-2 set world diving records, besting those of the bathyspheres, as no unwieldy cable was required for diving. It was in turn bested by a more refined version of itself, the Bathyscaphe Trieste
Bathyscaphe Trieste
The 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 ...
.
FNRS-2 was built during 1946-1948. She was damaged during sea trials in 1948, off the Cape Verde Islands. FNRS-2 was sold to the French Navy when FNRS funding ran low, in 1948. The French rebuilt and rebaptised her FNRS-3
FNRS-3
The 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...
. She was eventually replaced by the FNRS-4. In February 1954 the FNRS-3 reached a depth of 4050 metres (13,287.4 ft) in the Atlantic, 160 miles off Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
, beating Piccard's 1953 record by 900 meters.
Sea trials
FNRS-2 went for sea trials accompanied by the 3500t Belgian ship Scaldis, as her tender. However Scaldis' crane was not strong enough to lift FNRS-2 while her float was filled. This proved to be the detail that would end FNRS-2's career. FNRS-2 on an unmanned test dive to 4600 feet (1,402.1 m), which was successfully completed, but due to technical problems, the support crew were unable to empty her float of gasoline, that was used for buoyancy. Scaldis attempted to tow FNRS-2 back to port, but she was battered by ocean waves, and sprung a gasoline leak. After detecting the leak, the gasoline was dumped into the sea, and FNRS-2 was raised. However, there was no reserve of gasoline for replacement, nor funding to fix the float.See also
- DSV-0 Trieste
- DSV-1Bathyscaphe 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...
Trieste II - Georges Houot
External links
- www.bathyscaphtrieste.com — History of the Bathyscaph Trieste
- Seemotive - Sea Topics, Research Submersibles / Submarines, Part 1 — Images of submersibles from postage stamps
- FNRS-2 (By subscription only)