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{{short description|American oceanographer (1931-2023)}}
{{short description|American oceanographer (born 1931)}}
{{other people}}
{{other people}}
{{Cleanup bare URLs|date=August 2022}}
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{{Infobox scientist
{{Infobox scientist
|name =Donald Walsh
|name =Donald Walsh
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|image_size =
|image_size =
|caption = Walsh in 2010
|caption = Walsh in 2010
|birth_date ={{Birth date|1931|11|2}}
|birth_date ={{Birth date and age|1931|11|2}}
|birth_place =[[Berkeley, California]], U.S.
|birth_place =[[Berkeley, California]], U.S.
|death_date ={{Death date|2023|11|12}}
|death_date =
|death_place =[[Oregon]], U.S.
|death_place =
|work_institutions=[[United States Navy]]
|work_institutions=[[United States Navy]]
|alma_mater =[[United States Naval Academy]]
|alma_mater =[[United States Naval Academy]]
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}}
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'''Don Walsh''' (November 2, 1931-November 12, 2023) was an American [[oceanographer]], explorer and marine policy specialist. He and [[Jacques Piccard]] were aboard the [[bathyscaphe]] [[Bathyscaphe Trieste|''Trieste'']] when it made a record maximum descent into the [[Challenger Deep]] on January 23, 1960, the deepest point of the world's oceans. The depth was measured at {{convert|35813|ft|m}}, but later and more accurate measurements have measured it at {{convert|35798|ft|m}}.
'''Don Walsh''' (born November 2, 1931) is an American [[oceanographer]], explorer and marine policy specialist. He and [[Jacques Piccard]] were aboard the [[bathyscaphe]] [[Bathyscaphe Trieste|''Trieste'']] when it made a record maximum descent into the [[Challenger Deep]] on January 23, 1960, the deepest point of the world's oceans. The depth was measured at {{convert|35813|ft|m}}, but later and more accurate measurements have measured it at {{convert|35798|ft|m}}.
[[File:Bathyscaphe Trieste Piccard-Walsh.jpg|thumb|260px|Lt. Don Walsh, USN (bottom) and Jacques Piccard (center) in the bathyscaphe ''Trieste'']]
[[File:Bathyscaphe Trieste Piccard-Walsh.jpg|thumb|260px|Lt. Don Walsh, USN (bottom) and Jacques Piccard (center) in the bathyscaphe ''Trieste'']]


==Biography==
==Biography==
Walsh was associated with [[ocean science]], [[engineering]], and [[Joint Ocean Commission Initiative|marine policy]] for more than fifty years. He was commissioned as an officer in the [[United States Navy]] upon graduation from the [[United States Naval Academy]] in 1954. He attained the rank of [[Captain (naval)|captain]] by the time he retired. He spent fifteen years at sea, mostly in [[submarine]]s, and was a submarine commander. He also worked with ocean-related research and development for the U.S. Navy.
Walsh has been associated with [[ocean science]], [[engineering]], and [[Joint Ocean Commission Initiative|marine policy]] for more than fifty years. He was commissioned as an officer in the [[United States Navy]] upon graduation from the [[United States Naval Academy]] in 1954. He attained the rank of [[Captain (naval)|captain]] by the time he retired. He spent fifteen years at sea, mostly in [[submarine]]s, and was a submarine commander. He also worked with ocean-related research and development for the U.S. Navy.


Serving as Dean of Marine Programs and Professor of [[Ocean Engineering]] at the [[University of Southern California]], Walsh initiated and directed the university's Institute for Marine and Coastal Studies, and was a member of the board of directors for Omnithruster Inc., a manufacturer of marine maneuvering and auxiliary propulsion systems in nearby Santa Fe Springs. In 1989, his company, International Maritime Incorporated, contracted a joint venture with the [[Shirshov Institute of Oceanology|P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology]] to establish an underwater maintenance company, Soyuz Marine Service, which continues to operate in the [[Russian Federation]]. Walsh supported ocean sciences in his work on the Ocean Sciences Board at the [[National Academy of Sciences]].<ref>
Serving as Dean of Marine Programs and Professor of [[Ocean Engineering]] at the [[University of Southern California]], Walsh initiated and directed the university's Institute for Marine and Coastal Studies, and was a member of the board of directors for Omnithruster Inc., a manufacturer of marine maneuvering and auxiliary propulsion systems in nearby Santa Fe Springs. In 1989, his company, International Maritime Incorporated, contracted a joint venture with the [[Shirshov Institute of Oceanology|P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology]] to establish an underwater maintenance company, Soyuz Marine Service, which continues to operate in the [[Russian Federation]]. Walsh continues to support ocean sciences in his work on the Ocean Sciences Board at the [[National Academy of Sciences]].<ref>
{{cite web
{{cite web
|title=Board Members of the Ocean Sciences Board
|title=Board Members of the Ocean Sciences Board
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==Honors==
==Honors==
Walsh received a [[bachelor's degree]] in engineering from the [[U.S. Naval Academy]], a [[Master's degree]] in Political Science from [[San Diego State University]], and a master's degree and a [[PhD]] in physical oceanography from [[Texas A&M University]]. He was appointed by Presidents [[Jimmy Carter|Carter]] and [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] to the U.S. National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere, was a member of the Law of the Sea Advisory Committee for the [[U.S. Department of State]], and served as a member of the Marine Board of the [[U.S. National Research Council]] from 1990 to 1993. In 2001, Walsh was elected to the [[National Academy of Engineering]]. Walsh held a faculty appointment at [[Oregon State University]] in the [[College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences]].<ref>
Walsh received a [[bachelor's degree]] in engineering from the [[U.S. Naval Academy]], a [[Master's degree]] in Political Science from [[San Diego State University]], and a master's degree and a [[PhD]] in physical oceanography from [[Texas A&M University]]. He was appointed by Presidents [[Jimmy Carter|Carter]] and [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] to the U.S. National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere, was a member of the Law of the Sea Advisory Committee for the [[U.S. Department of State]], and served as a member of the Marine Board of the [[U.S. National Research Council]] from 1990 to 1993. In 2001, Walsh was elected to the [[National Academy of Engineering]]. Walsh holds a faculty appointment at [[Oregon State University]] in the [[College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences]].<ref>
{{cite web
{{cite web
|url=http://ceoas.oregonstate.edu/profile/walshd/
|url=http://ceoas.oregonstate.edu/profile/walshd/
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}}</ref>
}}</ref>


Walsh was named one of the world's great explorers by [[Life (magazine)|''Life'' magazine]]. In the [[MIR (submersible)|MIR submersible]], he dived on the [[RMS Titanic|RMS ''Titanic'']], the [[German battleship Bismarck|German battleship ''Bismarck'']], and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. He spent more than five decades traveling the world conducting research in, on, and around the oceans.
Walsh was named one of the world's great explorers by [[Life (magazine)|''Life'' magazine]]. In the [[MIR (submersible)|MIR submersible]], he dived on the [[RMS Titanic|RMS ''Titanic'']], the [[German battleship Bismarck|German battleship ''Bismarck'']], and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. He has spent more than five decades traveling the world conducting research in, on, and around the oceans.


In 1961, Walsh was chosen as one of 50 outstanding Americans of meritorious performance in the fields of endeavor, to be honored as a guest of honor to the first annual Banquet of the Golden Plate in Monterey, California. Honor was awarded by vote of the National Panel of Distinguished Americans of the [[Academy of Achievement]].<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url=https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#science-exploration}}</ref>
In 1961, Walsh was chosen as one of 50 outstanding Americans of meritorious performance in the fields of endeavor, to be honored as a guest of honor to the first annual Banquet of the Golden Plate in Monterey, California. Honor was awarded by vote of the National Panel of Distinguished Americans of the [[Academy of Achievement]].<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url=https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#science-exploration}}</ref>
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On September 22, 2020, The [[Marine Technology Society]] and The [[Society for Underwater Technology]] announced that [[Edith Widder]] was the inaugural recipient of their new joint MTS/SUT Captain Don Walsh Award for Ocean Exploration.<ref>https://www.mtsociety.org/2020/09/21/dr-edie-widder-to-receive-inaugural-captain-don-walsh-award-for-ocean-exploration/</ref>{{dead link|date=December 2022}}
On September 22, 2020, The [[Marine Technology Society]] and The [[Society for Underwater Technology]] announced that [[Edith Widder]] was the inaugural recipient of their new joint MTS/SUT Captain Don Walsh Award for Ocean Exploration.<ref>https://www.mtsociety.org/2020/09/21/dr-edie-widder-to-receive-inaugural-captain-don-walsh-award-for-ocean-exploration/</ref>{{dead link|date=December 2022}}


==Later life==
==Today==
Walsh lived with his wife, Joan, near [[Coquille, Oregon]]. He managed a marine consulting business beginning in 1976, and {{as of|2010|lc=on}} conducted about five deep-sea expeditions per year.<ref>{{cite web|title=Deepest Dive Ever: 'Another day at the office'|url=http://www.kval.com/news/local/83381257.html |publisher= [[KVAL-TV]]/[[Associated Press]]|work=[[The World (Coos Bay)|The World]] |date= February 3, 2010|last=Walsh|first=Meghan|accessdate=March 29, 2012}}</ref> He remained active with the National Academy of Sciences<ref>{{cite book|last1=National Research Council|title=Sea Change: 2015-2025 Decadal Survey of Ocean Sciences|url=https://www.nap.edu/catalog/21655/sea-change-2015-2025-decadal-survey-of-ocean-sciences|website=National Academies Press|year=2015 |doi=10.17226/21655 |isbn=978-0-309-36688-5 |accessdate=March 25, 2018}}</ref> and the Ocean Elders,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ocean Elders|title=Capt. Don Walsh|url=http://www.oceanelders.org/elder/captain-don-walsh/|website=Ocean Elders|date=13 April 2017 |accessdate=March 25, 2018}}</ref> and served on the faculty of [[Oregon State University]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences|title=OSU website|url=http://ceoas.oregonstate.edu/profile/walshd/|website=CEOAS faculty website|date=11 May 2020 |publisher=CEOAS}}</ref>
Walsh lives with his wife, Joan, near [[Coquille, Oregon]]. He has managed a marine consulting business since 1976, and {{as of|2010|lc=on}} conducted about five deep-sea expeditions per year.<ref>{{cite web|title=Deepest Dive Ever: 'Another day at the office'|url=http://www.kval.com/news/local/83381257.html |publisher= [[KVAL-TV]]/[[Associated Press]]|work=[[The World (Coos Bay)|The World]] |date= February 3, 2010|last=Walsh|first=Meghan|accessdate=March 29, 2012}}</ref> He remains active with the National Academy of Sciences<ref>{{cite book|last1=National Research Council|title=Sea Change: 2015-2025 Decadal Survey of Ocean Sciences|url=https://www.nap.edu/catalog/21655/sea-change-2015-2025-decadal-survey-of-ocean-sciences|website=National Academies Press|year=2015 |doi=10.17226/21655 |isbn=978-0-309-36688-5 |accessdate=March 25, 2018}}</ref> and the Ocean Elders,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ocean Elders|title=Capt. Don Walsh|url=http://www.oceanelders.org/elder/captain-don-walsh/|website=Ocean Elders|date=13 April 2017 |accessdate=March 25, 2018}}</ref> and is on the faculty of [[Oregon State University]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences|title=OSU website|url=http://ceoas.oregonstate.edu/profile/walshd/|website=CEOAS faculty website|date=11 May 2020 |publisher=CEOAS}}</ref>


It was reported in 2010 that Walsh visited the deep-sea [[submersible]] ''Jiaolong'' and its makers at the [[China Ship Scientific Research Center]]. The craft had "planted a Chinese flag on the bottom of the South China Sea during a two-mile-deep dive in June" as the Chinese program—which Walsh characterized as "very deliberate"—proceeded toward its ambitious goal of diving to 7,000 meters, or 4.35 miles, in 2012.<ref>{{cite news|first=William J.|last=Broad|author-link=William Broad|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/science/12deepsea.html?hpw|title=China Explores a Frontier 2 Miles Deep|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=September 11, 2010|accessdate= March 29, 2012}}</ref>
It was reported in 2010 that Walsh visited the deep-sea [[submersible]] ''Jiaolong'' and its makers at the [[China Ship Scientific Research Center]]. The craft had "planted a Chinese flag on the bottom of the South China Sea during a two-mile-deep dive in June" as the Chinese program—which Walsh characterized as "very deliberate"—proceeded toward its ambitious goal of diving to 7,000 meters, or 4.35 miles, in 2012.<ref>{{cite news|first=William J.|last=Broad|author-link=William Broad|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/science/12deepsea.html?hpw|title=China Explores a Frontier 2 Miles Deep|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=September 11, 2010|accessdate= March 29, 2012}}</ref>
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In June 2020, Walsh's son Kelly dived to the bottom of the Challenger Deep with Vescovo, becoming the twelfth person to reach the deepest point in the ocean.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53112621 |title = Mariana Trench: Don Walsh's son repeats historic ocean dive - BBC News| work=BBC News | date=20 June 2020 }}</ref>
In June 2020, Walsh's son Kelly dived to the bottom of the Challenger Deep with Vescovo, becoming the twelfth person to reach the deepest point in the ocean.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53112621 |title = Mariana Trench: Don Walsh's son repeats historic ocean dive - BBC News| work=BBC News | date=20 June 2020 }}</ref>

Walsh passed away at his home in Oregon on November 12, 2023, of natural causes.


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 18:59, 13 November 2023

For other people named Don Walsh, see Don Walsh (disambiguation).
Donald Walsh
Walsh in 2010
Born (1931-11-02) November 2, 1931 (age 92)
Berkeley, California, U.S.
Alma materUnited States Naval Academy
Known forTrieste
AwardsHubbard Medal (2010)
Scientific career
InstitutionsUnited States Navy
Military career
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Navy
Rank Captain
Awards
Distinguished Public Service Award
Hubbard Medal

Don Walsh (born November 2, 1931) is an American oceanographer, explorer and marine policy specialist. He and Jacques Piccard were aboard the bathyscaphe Trieste when it made a record maximum descent into the Challenger Deep on January 23, 1960, the deepest point of the world's oceans. The depth was measured at 35,813 feet (10,916 m), but later and more accurate measurements have measured it at 35,798 feet (10,911 m).

Lt. Don Walsh, USN (bottom) and Jacques Piccard (center) in the bathyscaphe Trieste

Biography

Walsh has been associated with ocean science, engineering, and marine policy for more than fifty years. He was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy upon graduation from the United States Naval Academy in 1954. He attained the rank of captain by the time he retired. He spent fifteen years at sea, mostly in submarines, and was a submarine commander. He also worked with ocean-related research and development for the U.S. Navy.

Serving as Dean of Marine Programs and Professor of Ocean Engineering at the University of Southern California, Walsh initiated and directed the university's Institute for Marine and Coastal Studies, and was a member of the board of directors for Omnithruster Inc., a manufacturer of marine maneuvering and auxiliary propulsion systems in nearby Santa Fe Springs. In 1989, his company, International Maritime Incorporated, contracted a joint venture with the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology to establish an underwater maintenance company, Soyuz Marine Service, which continues to operate in the Russian Federation. Walsh continues to support ocean sciences in his work on the Ocean Sciences Board at the National Academy of Sciences.[1]

Honors

Walsh received a bachelor's degree in engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy, a Master's degree in Political Science from San Diego State University, and a master's degree and a PhD in physical oceanography from Texas A&M University. He was appointed by Presidents Carter and Reagan to the U.S. National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere, was a member of the Law of the Sea Advisory Committee for the U.S. Department of State, and served as a member of the Marine Board of the U.S. National Research Council from 1990 to 1993. In 2001, Walsh was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Walsh holds a faculty appointment at Oregon State University in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences.[2]

Walsh was named one of the world's great explorers by Life magazine. In the MIR submersible, he dived on the RMS Titanic, the German battleship Bismarck, and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. He has spent more than five decades traveling the world conducting research in, on, and around the oceans.

In 1961, Walsh was chosen as one of 50 outstanding Americans of meritorious performance in the fields of endeavor, to be honored as a guest of honor to the first annual Banquet of the Golden Plate in Monterey, California. Honor was awarded by vote of the National Panel of Distinguished Americans of the Academy of Achievement.[3]

On April 14, 2010, The National Geographic Society bestowed its greatest honor, the Hubbard Medal, on Walsh in a ceremony in Washington, D.C. at the National Geographic headquarters. The U.S. Navy awarded Walsh its Distinguished Public Service Award.[4]

On September 22, 2020, The Marine Technology Society and The Society for Underwater Technology announced that Edith Widder was the inaugural recipient of their new joint MTS/SUT Captain Don Walsh Award for Ocean Exploration.[5][dead link]

Today

Walsh lives with his wife, Joan, near Coquille, Oregon. He has managed a marine consulting business since 1976, and as of 2010 conducted about five deep-sea expeditions per year.[6] He remains active with the National Academy of Sciences[7] and the Ocean Elders,[8] and is on the faculty of Oregon State University.[9]

It was reported in 2010 that Walsh visited the deep-sea submersible Jiaolong and its makers at the China Ship Scientific Research Center. The craft had "planted a Chinese flag on the bottom of the South China Sea during a two-mile-deep dive in June" as the Chinese program—which Walsh characterized as "very deliberate"—proceeded toward its ambitious goal of diving to 7,000 meters, or 4.35 miles, in 2012.[10]

Walsh joined the team that oversaw the dive of the Deepsea Challenger mission, during which James Cameron dived solo to the bottom of the Challenger Deep, on March 26, 2012.[11]

Walsh was the inspiration for Chris Wright's 2015 book No More Worlds to Conquer, and his interview constitutes the opening chapter. The book, about moving on from the defining moment in one's life, was inspired by Walsh's answer to Wright's question: what came next after the Trieste dive? Walsh responded: "Well, a lot of people think I died."[citation needed]

Walsh was on board to congratulate Victor Vescovo when he completed his own record-breaking series of dives in the Challenger Deep in 2019.[12]

In June 2020, Walsh's son Kelly dived to the bottom of the Challenger Deep with Vescovo, becoming the twelfth person to reach the deepest point in the ocean.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Board Members of the Ocean Sciences Board". Retrieved May 7, 2016.
  2. ^ "Academic Bio - OSU". www.ceoas.oregonstate.edu. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  3. ^ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
  4. ^ Braun, David (April 15, 2010). "Deepest Dive: Geographic Honors Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea". National Geographic Society. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
  5. ^ https://www.mtsociety.org/2020/09/21/dr-edie-widder-to-receive-inaugural-captain-don-walsh-award-for-ocean-exploration/
  6. ^ Walsh, Meghan (February 3, 2010). "Deepest Dive Ever: 'Another day at the office'". The World. KVAL-TV/Associated Press. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
  7. ^ National Research Council (2015). Sea Change: 2015-2025 Decadal Survey of Ocean Sciences. doi:10.17226/21655. ISBN 978-0-309-36688-5. Retrieved March 25, 2018. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  8. ^ Ocean Elders (13 April 2017). "Capt. Don Walsh". Ocean Elders. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  9. ^ College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (11 May 2020). "OSU website". CEOAS faculty website. CEOAS.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ Broad, William J. (September 11, 2010). "China Explores a Frontier 2 Miles Deep". The New York Times. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
  11. ^ Morelle, Rebecca (March 20, 2012). "James Cameron gets ready to dive to the Mariana Trench". BBC News. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
  12. ^ Strege, Davis (13 May 2019). "Explorer reaches deepest spot on Earth in historic dive". usatosay.com. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  13. ^ "Mariana Trench: Don Walsh's son repeats historic ocean dive - BBC News". BBC News. 20 June 2020.

Further reading

External links

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