Submersible

For submersible drilling rigs, see submersible drilling rig.

Retired modern submersible Star III of Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Błotniak

Experimental Sub dive in Monterey Bay of the DeepFlight Aviator. In a radical redesign of the submarine, it "flies" underwater like an airplane rather than using ballast like a blimp. The designer, Graham Hawkes, thinks that a variation of this design could reach the bottom of the deepest trench in the ocean.

A submersible is a small vehicle designed to operate underwater. The term submersible is often used to differentiate from other underwater vehicles known as submarines, in that a submarine is a fully autonomous craft, capable of renewing its own power and breathing air, whereas a submersible is usually supported by a surface vessel, platform, shore team or sometimes a larger submarine. In common usage by the general public, however, the word submarine may be used to describe a craft that is by the technical definition actually a submersible. There are many types of submersibles, including both manned and unmanned craft, otherwise known as remotely operated vehicles or ROVs. Submersibles have many uses worldwide, such as oceanography, underwater archaeology, ocean exploration, adventure, equipment maintenance/recovery or underwater videography.

Operation

Apart from size, the main technical difference between a "submersible" and a "submarine" is that submersibles are not fully autonomous and may rely on a support facility or vessel for replenishment of power and breathing gases. Submersibles typically have shorter range, and operate primarily underwater, as most have little function at the surface^{[citation needed]}. Some submersibles operate on a "tether" or "umbilical", remaining connected to a tender (a submarine, surface vessel or platform). Submersibles have been able to dive to over 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

Submersibles may be relatively small, hold only a small crew, and have no living facilities.

A submersible often has very dexterous mobility, provided by propeller screws or pump-jets.

Deep-diving manned submersibles

Some submersibles have been able to dive to great depths. The Bathyscaphe Trieste was the first to reach the deepest part of the ocean, nearly 11km (7 mi) below the surface, at the bottom of the Mariana Trench in 1960. No other manned craft has been able to repeat the Trieste's historic dive since. China, with its Jiaolong project in 2002, was the fifth country to send a man 3,500 meters below sea level, following the US, France, Russia and Japan. China's State Oceanic Administration (SOA) said a Chinese manned deep-sea submersible reached a depth 5,115 meters. The Jialong submersible was designed to reach depths of up to 7,000 meters below sea level and is expected to have a 7,000-meter test dive in 2012.

Among the most well-known and longest-in-operation submersibles is the deep-submergence research vessel DSV Alvin, which takes 3 people to depths of up to 4,500 metres (14,800 ft). Alvin is owned by the United States Navy and operated by WHOI, and as of 2011 had made over 4,400 dives .

Commercial submersibles

More recently, private firms such as SEAmagine Hydrospace, Sub Aviator Systems (or 'SAS'), and Netherlands-based U-Boat Worx have developed small submersibles for tourism, exploration and adventure travel.

ROVs

Small unmanned submersibles called "marine remotely operated vehicles" or MROVs are widely used today to work in water too deep or too dangerous for divers.

Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) repair offshore oil platforms and attach cables to sunken ships to hoist them. Such remotely operated vehicles are attached by a tether (a thick cable providing power and communications) to a control center on a ship. Operators on the ship see video images sent back from the robot and may control its propellers and manipulator arm. The wreck of the Titanic was explored by such a vehicle, as well as by a manned vessel.

See also

Bathyscaphe Bathysphere Benthoscope Deep Submergence Vehicle Diving bell Diving chamber Hawkes Ocean Technologies Midget submarine Narco submarine

CSS David Pisces V Remotely operated underwater vehicle Semi-submersible Timeline of underwater technology Underwater Acoustic Positioning System Welfreighter Category:Research submarines

Sources

• Polmar, Norman. "Bathyscaph." World Book Online Reference Center. 2008. (accessed 26 Jan. 2008) http://worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar049420.