Bathyscaphe. Deep-sea manned vehicles MIR (9 photos) Underwater in the MIR vehicles

(GOA) for oceanographic research and rescue operations.

The fleet of the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences named after Pyotr Shirshov includes two deep-sea manned underwater vehicles of the "Mir" type: GOA "Mir 1" and "Mir 2". They were built in Finland by Rauma Repola in 1987. The devices were created under the scientific and technical guidance of scientists and engineers from the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The creation of the devices began in May 1985 and was completed in November 1987. In December 1987, deep-sea tests of the devices were carried out in the Atlantic at a depth of 6170 meters ("Mir 1") and 6120 meters ("Mir 2"). The devices were installed on the support vessel Akademik Mstislav Keldysh, built in 1981 in Finland and converted in 1987 to carry out work with deep-sea test devices.

GOA "Mir 1" and "Mir 2" are identical in design and are designed for a working diving depth of 6000 m. The total battery capacity of one device is 100 kW/h, which allows underwater operations to be carried out for 17-20 hours of continuous underwater cycle. In addition, this allows the installation of a large complex of scientific and navigation equipment on both devices.

The single-water speed of the Mir spacecraft is 5 knots. It uses water ballast for ballasting. Before the apparatus leaves the surface, sea water fills plastic main ballast tanks with a capacity of 1.5 cubic meters. m, which are blown with compressed air when the device reaches the surface after a dive. The buoyancy of the apparatus is regulated using a variable ballast system by receiving water into three durable spheres and pumping it out of the spheres with a high-pressure pump.

The body of the devices is made of martensitic, highly alloyed steel, with 18% nickel. The alloy has a yield strength of 150 kg per square meter. mm (for titanium - about 79 kg/sq.mm).

The length of the Mir spacecraft is 7.8 m, width (with side engines) 3.8 m, height 3 m. The view from the habitable sphere of the Mir spacecraft is provided by three windows: a central one with an internal diameter of 200 mm, and two side windows with a diameter of 120 mm. The position of the windows provides a wide viewing angle for the pilot and observers. The buoyancy reserve of the Mir apparatus at the bottom is 290 kg. Dry weight 18.6 tons. Life support capacity 246 people/hour. GOA "Mir" is equipped with navigation and scientific equipment, photo and video systems, manipulators, sampling devices, etc. The crew of the device consists of three people - a pilot, an engineer and a scientific observer.

The emergency rescue system of the device consists of a syntactic buoy released by the crew, with a Kevlar cable attached to it, which is made of high-strength carbon fiber - Kevlar, 7000 m long, along which half of the coupling is lowered (the same as a railway automatic coupler). It reaches the device, then automatic coupling occurs, and the device is lifted on a long power cable, 6500 m long, with a breaking force of about 10 tons.

In 1987-2005, 35 expeditions were carried out in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans using the Mir 1 and Mir 2 GOAs, including nine expeditions to eliminate the consequences of the accidents of the nuclear submarines Komsomolets and Kursk. . The developed range of the latest deep-sea technologies and techniques made it possible to carry out long-term radiation monitoring on the Komsomolets nuclear submarine, which is located at the bottom of the Norwegian Sea at a depth of 1,700 meters, and to partially seal the bow of the boat. Together with various Russian scientific institutions, a methodology was developed that made it possible to conduct a detailed examination of the Kursk nuclear submarine, determine the cause of its accident and develop measures to eliminate the consequences of this accident.

In 1991 and 1995, with the help of Mir devices, studies were carried out on the hull of the Titanic, lying at a depth of 3800 meters. During the dives, unique filming was carried out, which was used to create feature and popular science films, including Titanica, Titanic, Bismarck, Aliens of the Deep, Ghost of the Abyss.

Film director James Cameron participated in the dives in 1995, who descended to the Titanic on the Mir apparatus 12 times.

In January September 2004, the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, together with the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Fakel, carried out major renovation"Mir" devices with their complete disassembly, testing the strength of the housings, partial replacement of elements, components and equipment, subsequent assembly and testing of the newly assembled devices. As a result, "Mir?1" and "Mir?2" received a class certificate from the international register "German Lloyd" until 2014.

On August 2, 2007, as part of the expedition "Arctic? 2007", the world's first descent of the deep-sea manned vehicles "Mir" was made at the point of the geographic North Pole to a depth of 4300 meters. During this unprecedented dive, a titanium Russian flag was planted at the bottom, and samples of soil and living organisms were taken from a depth of 4261 m. The achievements of this expedition were included in the Guinness Book of Records.

In 2008-2010, the scientific research expedition “Worlds on Baikal” took place: scientists on two deep-sea manned vehicles “World 1” and “World 2” studied the state of the reservoir’s ecosystem, animal and plant life, and tectonic processes at the bottom of the lake. Researchers have made a number of scientific discoveries, and also come closer to solving one of the historical mysteries. At the end of a series of dives in 2009, in the area of ​​the Circum-Baikal Railway, scientists discovered fragments of a railway carriage, as well as boxes with ammunition from the Civil War (1918-1921). Researchers suggested that this could be the train on which the “white” Admiral Kolchak exported the gold of the empire. In 2010, during the final dives in the same area, scientists found objects that looked like gold bars, but they were unable to bring the find to the surface.

During the "Worlds" expeditions, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, polar explorer, State Duma deputy Artur Chilingarov, Governor of the Irkutsk region Dmitry Mezentsev, President of Buryatia Vyacheslav Nagovitsyn, President of Mongolia Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, rock musician and band leader visited the bottom of Lake Baikal " Time Machine" Andrei Makarevich, writer Valentin Rasputin, film director, author of "Titanic" and "Avatar" James Cameron.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin dived to the bottom of the lake on August 1, 2009. In total, the “excursion” on the Mir 1 apparatus along the bottom of Lake Baikal took about 4 hours. During the dive, Putin contacted journalists. At that moment, "World 1" was at the deepest point of the southern part of the lake, 1395 meters. Putin admitted to reporters that he was somewhat surprised by the opacity of the water, calling it “plankton soup.”

James Cameron dived to the bottom of Lake Baikal on August 16, 2010, his birthday, and spent four and a half hours underwater. The maximum depth at which he found himself was 1380 meters.

In the summer of 2011, Russian deep-sea manned vehicles Mir 1 and Mir 2 will study Lake Geneva. The first dives are planned to begin in mid-June and end in mid-August.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

"Mir" is a series of Russian research underwater deep-sea manned vehicles (GOV) for oceanographic research and rescue operations. They have a diving depth of up to 6 km. Based on board research ship "Akademik Mstislav Keldysh".

In this post I will tell you about these mini submarines:

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The deep-sea manned submersibles "Mir-1" and "Mir-2" were built in Finland by Rauma-Repola in 1987. The idea of ​​the devices and initial project were worked out at the USSR Academy of Sciences and the Lazurit Design Bureau. The devices were created under the scientific and technical guidance of scientists and engineers from the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The creation of the devices began in May 1985 and was completed in November 1987. In December 1987, deep-sea tests of the devices were carried out in the Atlantic at a depth of 6170 meters (“Mir-1”) and 6120 meters (“Mir-2”). The devices were installed on the support vessel Akademik Mstislav Keldysh, built in 1981 in Finland and converted in 1987 to carry out work with deep-sea test devices.

GOA "Mir 1" and "Mir 2" are identical in design and are designed for a working diving depth of 6000 m. The total battery capacity of one device is 100 kW/h, which allows underwater operations to be carried out for 17-20 hours of continuous underwater cycle. In addition, this allows the installation of a large complex of scientific and navigation equipment on both devices.

The underwater speed of the Mir vehicle is 5 knots. It uses water ballast for ballasting. Before the apparatus leaves the surface, sea water fills plastic main ballast tanks with a capacity of 1.5 cubic meters. m, which are blown with compressed air when the device reaches the surface after a dive. The buoyancy of the apparatus is regulated using a variable ballast system by receiving water into three durable spheres and pumping it out of the spheres with a high-pressure pump.

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The body of the devices is made of martensitic, highly alloyed steel, with 18% nickel. The alloy has a yield strength of 150 kg per square mm (for titanium it is about 79 kg/sq.mm). Manufacturer: Finnish company Lokomo, part of the Rauma Repola concern. Crew accommodation The crew of the GOA "Mir" consists of three people - a pilot, an engineer and a scientist-observer.

The length of the Mir apparatus is 7.8 m, width (with side engines) 3.8 m, height 3 m. The view from the habitable sphere of the Mir apparatus is provided by three windows: a central one with an internal diameter of 200 mm, and two side windows with a diameter of 120 mm. The position of the windows provides a wide viewing angle for the pilot and observers. The buoyancy reserve of the Mir apparatus at the bottom is 290 kg. Dry weight 18.6 tons. Life support capacity 246 people/hour. GOA "Mir" is equipped with navigation and scientific equipment, photo and video systems, manipulators, sampling devices, etc.

The emergency rescue system of the device consists of a syntactic buoy released by the crew, with a 7000 m long Kevlar cable attached to it, along which half of the coupling is lowered (the same as a railway automatic coupler). It reaches the device, then automatic coupling occurs, and the device is lifted on a long power cable, 6500 m long, with a breaking force of about ten tons.

As of 2008, in addition to the Russian Mir-1 and Mir-2, there are two more devices in the world (three were built). The American Sea Cliff (DSV Sea Cliff), which is currently being converted, the French Nautile, both with a diving depth of 6000 meters, and the Japanese Shinkai 6500 6500), which set a diving record for existing vehicles of 6527 meters.

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Using the Mir-1" and "Mir-2" GOA, 35 expeditions were carried out in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, of which nine expeditions were conducted to eliminate the consequences of the accidents of the nuclear submarines "Komsomolets" and "Kursk". A number of the latest deep-sea technologies and techniques have been developed, which made it possible to carry out long-term radiation monitoring on the Komsomolets nuclear submarine, which is located at the bottom of the Norwegian Sea at a depth of 1,700 meters, and to partially seal the bow of the boat. Seven expeditions were conducted to the area of ​​the sinking of the Komsomolets nuclear submarine in the Norwegian Sea in the period 1989-1998.

At the end of September 2000, the devices were used to inspect the Kursk nuclear submarine. Russian scientific institutions have developed a methodology that made it possible, using Mir devices, to conduct a detailed examination of the Kursk nuclear submarine, determine the cause of its accident and develop measures to eliminate the consequences of this accident.

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In 1991 and 1995, with the help of “Worlds”, studies were carried out on the hull of the Titanic, which lies at a depth of 3800 meters. During the dives, unique filming was carried out, which was used to create feature and popular science films, including Titanica, Titanic, Bismarck, Aliens of the Deep, Ghost of the Abyss.

In January-September 2004, the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, together with the Fakel Federal State Unitary Enterprise, carried out a major overhaul of the Mir devices, including their complete disassembly, testing the strength of the hulls, partial replacement of elements, components and equipment, subsequent assembly and testing of the newly assembled devices. As a result, "Mir-1" and "Mir-2" received a class certificate from the international register "German Lloyd" until 2014.

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On August 2, 2007, as part of the "Arctic-2007" expedition, the world's first descent of the deep-sea manned vehicles "Mir" was made at the point of the geographic North Pole to a depth of 4300 meters. During this unprecedented dive, a titanium Russian flag and a capsule with a message to future generations were installed at the bottom. The devices withstood a pressure of 430 atmospheres. The achievements of this expedition are included in the Guinness Book of Records.

The Arctic plunge caused a major public outcry, as some Russian commentators suggested that Russia was “staking out” its rights to a section of the ocean floor between the New Siberian Islands and the North Pole, although from the point of view of international law this action was legally void.

The dive of the deep-sea manned vehicles "Mir-1" and "Mir-2" at the North Pole is the first in history. This expedition will make it possible for the first time to study in detail the structure of the bottom in the polar region and clarify the boundaries of the Russian shelf in the area stretching from the New Siberian Islands to the Pole.

In fact, one of the goals of the expedition is to determine whether the underwater Lomonosov and Mendeleev ridges, which stretch towards Greenland, are a geological continuation of the Russian continental shelf.

The expedition members also carried out a number of scientific experiments and took soil and fauna samples. In addition, as part of the dive, the Russian tricolor was installed on the ocean floor and a capsule was left with a message from the Russians, the “Heart of the World” - the mascot of the youth team “Heavenly Odyssey” and the flag of “United Russia”.

Answering a question about the tasks of the current expedition of Russian researchers to the North Pole, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said: “The goal of this expedition is not to stake Russia’s rights, but to prove that our shelf extends to the North Pole.” The minister expressed the hope that the current expedition and submersion of the bathyscaphe in the North Pole region “will allow us to obtain additional scientific evidence of what we are going to achieve.”

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In 2008, both Russian deep-sea vehicles completed their dive to the bottom of Lake Baikal and safely rose to the surface. For the first dive, a point was chosen near the island of Olkhon, approximately 10 km east of the shore of Lake Baikal between capes Izhimei and Khara-Khushun, where the lake reaches its maximum depth. The expedition was lucky with the weather: while on Monday there was a storm on Baikal, two-meter waves and continuous rain, then on Tuesday morning it was completely calm and the bright sun was shining. Mir-1 is piloted by the head of the expedition, head of the laboratory for the scientific operation of deep-sea manned vehicles at the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor Anatoly Sagalevich.

With him on board are the President of the Republic of Buryatia, Vyacheslav Nagovitsyn, and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for the Preservation of Lake Baikal, Mikhail Slipenchuk. The second crew includes pilot Evgeny Chernyaev, State Duma deputy Vladimir Gruzdev and director of the Baikal Institute of Environmental Management of the Russian Academy of Sciences Arnold Tulokhonov.

Let us remind you that Baikal is the deepest inland reservoir on Earth and the largest reservoir of fresh water. In June 2008, according to the results of an Internet survey, the lake was recognized as one of the seven wonders of Russia.

In August-September, the Mir-1 and Mir-2 bathyscaphes made 60 dives at various points of Lake Baikal. Then the expedition was interrupted for the winter. As of 2009, 100 dives were completed.

Scientists conducted visual observations, took water samples at different depths, studied the fauna of the lake and the geological structure of the bottom. In addition, they hoped to find archaeological artifacts in the depths of the lake.

According to State Duma deputy and famous polar explorer Artur Chilingarov, who is also participating in the expedition, the main thing for its participants is not record dives, but concern for the ecology of Lake Baikal.

“Any dive is a page in history. We are not going to set any records. We want to draw your attention and tell you what needs to be done to the Russian state to preserve this lake,” Chilingarov said earlier.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin dived to the bottom of the lake on August 1, 2009. In general, the “excursion” on the “Mir 1” apparatus along the bottom of Lake Baikal took about 4 hours. During the dive, Putin contacted journalists. At that moment, "World 1" was at the deepest point of the southern part of the lake, 1395 meters. Putin admitted to reporters that he was somewhat surprised by the opacity of the water, calling it “plankton soup.”

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James Cameron dived to the bottom of Lake Baikal on August 16, 2010, his birthday, and spent four and a half hours underwater. The maximum depth at which he found himself was 1380 meters.

In 2011, the Russian bathyscaphes Mir-1 and Mir-2 made their first dive to the bottom of Lake Geneva, one of the largest but practically unexplored bodies of water in Europe. A full-scale research program began yesterday and will continue throughout the summer. In Switzerland and France they wanted to find out what was hidden under this picturesque surface of water and were eager for discovery.
The first to go to the depths were Russian heroes Anatoly Sagalevich (he leads the expedition), American Don Walsh (he was at the bottom of the Mariana Trench) and Swiss Bertrand Picard. For him, however, another element is more familiar. Picard is an aeronaut and creator of the world's first solar-powered aircraft.

The bathyscaphes reached almost 300 meters - this is the maximum value for Lake Geneva. As Anatoly Sagalevich reported, at the bottom they saw the wreckage of the steamship “Rona” (its wreck a century ago claimed 15 lives) and several fish. There were still about a hundred dives ahead, collecting soil and water samples.

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Over the course of 20 years, the Mir spacecraft made more than 800 dives, about 80 percent of which were performed at depths from 3,000 to 6,000 meters. There was not a single emergency situation. Undoubtedly, this is the merit of the professional group of submariners of the Institute of Oceanology, who fully support the work of the Mir GOA - from the development of new equipment, modernization of GOA systems, carrying out repair and maintenance work to piloting vehicles under water.

Characteristics of the deep-sea vehicles "Mir" Working depth of immersion - 6000 meters Stay under water - up to 80 hours Energy supply reserve - 100 kW-hour Life support reserve - 246 man-hour Maximum speed– 5 knots Buoyancy reserve (from the surface) – 290 kilograms Dry weight – 18.6 tons Length – 7.8 meters Width (with side engines) – 3.8 meters Height – 3 meters Diameter – 2.1 m Crew – 3 people Exit at the top Operating principle Submersion – ballast tanks are filled with water Lifting – pumps are turned off, water is pumped out Propulsion motor – powered by batteries. Travel speed – 9 km/h.

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"Mir" is a series of Russian research underwater deep-sea manned vehicles (GOV) for oceanographic research and rescue operations.

They have a diving depth of up to 6 km. Based on board the research vessel Akademik Mstislav Keldysh.

History As of 2008, the fleet of the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences includes two deep-sea manned underwater vehicles of the “Mir” type: GOA “MIR-1” and “MIR-2”.
They were built in Finland by the Rauma-Repola company in 1987, under the scientific and technical guidance of scientists and engineers of the IORAS. P. P. Shirshova.
The design of the GOA began in May 1985 and was completed with the construction of the devices in November 1987, and already in December 1987, factory deep-sea tests of the devices were carried out in the Atlantic Ocean.

The diving depth was 6170 m for MIR-1 and 6120 m for MIR-2. The carrier vessel of the GOA is the Akademik Mstislav Keldysh, built in 1981 in Finland and converted into a support vessel in 1987. From 1987 to 1991, 35 expeditions were carried out in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans using the Mir-1 and Mir-2 geothermal exploration vehicles.
The devices were used in the filming of James Cameron's films Titanic, Ghosts of the Abyss: Titanic in 1997 and Expedition Bismarck in 2002.
Using the Mir submersibles, hydrothermal springs were explored in the areas of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and the sunken submarine Komsomolets was also examined. Seven expeditions were conducted to the area where the nuclear submarine Komsomolets sank in the Norwegian Sea between 1989 and 1998. At the end of September 2000, the devices were used to inspect the Kursk nuclear submarine.

Both the vessel “Akademik Mstislav Keldysh” and the underwater vehicles belong to the Institute of Oceanology named after. P. P. Shirshov RAS.

The idea of ​​the devices and the initial design were developed at the USSR Academy of Sciences and the Lazurit Design Bureau. Deep-sea vehicles were manufactured in 1987 by the Finnish company Rauma Repola. The ship "Akademik Mstislav Keldysh" was built in 1981 at the Finnish shipyard Hollming in the city of Rauma.
On August 2, 2007, for the first time in the world, these devices reached the bottom of the Arctic Ocean at the North Pole, where the Russian flag and a capsule with a message to future generations were placed. The devices withstood a pressure of 430 atmospheres.

Design

The body of the devices is made of martensitic, highly alloyed steel, with 18% nickel. The alloy has a yield strength of 150 kg per square mm (for titanium it is about 79 kg/sq.mm). Manufacturer: Finnish company Lokomo, part of the Rauma Repola concern. Crew accommodation The crew of the GOA "Mir" consists of three people - a pilot, an engineer and a scientist-observer.

Rescue system

The emergency rescue system of the device consists of a syntactic buoy released by the crew, with a 7000 m long Kevlar cable attached to it, along which half of the coupling is lowered (the same as a railway automatic coupler).
It reaches the device, then automatic coupling occurs, and the device is lifted on a long power cable, 6500 m long, with a breaking force of about ten tons.

Comparative assessment

As of 2008, in addition to the Russian Mir-1 and Mir-2, there are two more devices in the world (three were built). The American Sea Cliff (DSV Sea Cliff), which is currently being converted, the French Nautile, both with a diving depth of 6000 meters, and the Japanese Shinkai 6500 6500), which set a diving record for existing vehicles of 6527 meters.

Baikal exploration

Since July 2008, both devices have been located on Lake Baikal. On this lake they conducted their first deep-sea dives in fresh water. It is planned that the expedition will continue in 2009, during which 100 dives will be completed.
On July 30, 2008, the Mir-2 spacecraft collided with a floating platform and sustained damage to the left propeller.
In 2008, 53 dives were carried out in the middle and southern basins of the lake, in which 72 hydronauts took part. The nature of the appearance of oil spills on the surface of the lake and the fauna were investigated.
Four levels of ancient “beaches” have been discovered, meaning that Baikal was filled gradually. At a depth of 800 meters, three boxes with cartridges from the times were found civil war, 7 rounds were raised.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin dived to the bottom of Lake Baikal on the Mir deep-sea submersible on August 1, 2009.

Notable commanders

Anatoly Sagalevich

Chernyaev Evgeniy Sergeevich

Deep-sea vehicle "Mir-1" Nikolay Ryutin/TASS, archive

KALININGRAD, November 13. /TASS correspondent Vladimir Nuyakshev/. The Russian deep-sea submersible Mir-1, which dived on the Titanic, became an exhibit at the Museum of the World Ocean in Kaliningrad, where its pair, Mir-2, is kept.

It took several dozen people to roll it into the museum building, Oksana Oshevskaya, head of the museum’s press service, told TASS.

“Today, the legendary Mir-1, which worked in the seas and oceans for many years, explored the wreckage of the sunken liner Titanic, with the help of which they planted the Russian flag on the Arctic floor, at the point of the geographic North Pole, and delivered it to the museum to become one of the main exhibits of the “Depth” exhibition being created,” she said.

The 19-ton Mir-1, 3 meters high and 8 meters long, was transported across the city on a truck tractor from the hangars of the Atlantic Branch of the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Special floors were made for it and the doorway was widened.

“The deep-sea manned vehicle Mir-1, like Mir-2, is in working condition and, if necessary, can be loaded aboard “our” research vessel Akademik Mstislav Keldysh,” Oshevskaya noted.

In addition, visitors to the “Depth” exhibition will be able to see collections of barometers, current meters, hydrographic probes, instruments and equipment for underwater surveys, deep-sea equipment and what the “Worlds” raised from the bottom. The exhibition will open in early December.

The deep-sea manned vehicles Mir-1 and Mir-2 are capable of diving to depths of up to 6 km. They were built in Finland by the Rauma-Repola company in 1987 under the scientific and technical guidance of specialists from the Institute of Oceanology. P.P. Shirshov RAS (Kaliningrad). In 1994, the American Center for Technology Development recognized them as the best deep-sea vehicles among similar technical means.

Thanks to “Worlds,” dozens of new species of sea creatures were discovered, and unique natural hydrothermal springs were explored in the areas of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The devices were used in the filming of James Cameron's films Titanic and Ghosts of the Abyss: Titanic.

On August 2, 2007, as part of the Arktika-2007 expedition, the world's first deep-sea manned submersible, Mir, was launched at the geographic North Pole to a depth of 4,300 meters. The devices withstood a pressure of 430 atmospheres. A titanium Russian flag was installed at the bottom. The achievements of this expedition are included in the Guinness Book of Records.

Among the latest expeditions with the participation of “Worlds” are 60 dives at various points in Lake Baikal and exploration of the bottom of Lake Geneva, one of the largest but practically unexplored bodies of water in Europe.

If you have ever watched the famous films of the Cousteau team about the underwater world, then you could not help but remember the amazing, spaceship-like underwater vehicles - bathyscaphes. So why is the bathyscaphe interesting, what can you explore with it? With the help of these ships, a person can dive into the depths of the ocean for scientific observations and knowledge of the mysterious depths of the World Ocean.

Etymology of the name

The bathyscaphe owes its name to Auguste Piccard, the inventor who came up with this device. The word is derived from a pair of Greek words that mean "ship" and "deep." In 2018, the “deep-sea vessel” will celebrate its 80th anniversary.

Invention of the bathyscaphe

Piccard invented the deep-sea submersible shortly after the end of World War II, in 1948. The predecessors of bathyscaphes were bathyspheres - deep-sea vehicles in the shape of a ball. The first such vessel was invented in America in the 30s of the twentieth century and was able to dive to depths of up to 1000 meters.

The difference between a bathyscaphe and a bathysphere is that the former can move independently in the water column. Although the movement speed is low and amounts to 1-3 knots, this is enough to perform the scientific and technical tasks assigned to the device.

Before the war, the Swiss worked on a stratospheric balloon, and he came up with the idea of ​​​​making an underwater vessel similar in design principles to such aircraft as an airship and a balloon. Only in a bathyscaphe, instead of a balloon balloon, which is filled with gas, the balloon must be filled with some substance having a density less than the density of water. Thus, the principle of operation of the bathyscaphe resembles a float.

Bathyscaphe device

How does a bathyscaphe work, what is a gondola and a float? The design of various bathyscaphe models is similar to each other and includes two parts:

• light body, or as it is also called - float;
• durable body, or the so-called gondola.

The main purpose of the float is to hold the bathyscaphe at the required depth. To do this, several compartments are equipped in a lightweight body, filled with a substance that has a density lower than that of salt water. The first bathyscaphes were filled with gasoline, but modern ones use other fillers - various composite materials.

Scientific equipment, various systems control and support, the crew of the bathyscaphe is housed inside a durable hull. Spherical gondolas were originally made of steel.

Modern underwater vessels have a durable hull made of titanium, aluminum alloys or composite materials. They are not subject to corrosion and meet the strength requirements.

Why is diving on a submersible risky?

The main problem of all deep-sea vehicles and submarines is the enormous water pressure, which increases with depth. The body is being squeezed harder and harder, and the bathyscaphe locator is evenly plunging down.

An insufficiently strong hull of an underwater vessel can be deformed or destroyed, which will lead to the sinking of the vessel and the loss of expensive research equipment and loss of life. Poorly designed batteries large number complex electronics, chemicals and materials from compression of the housing at great depths increase the likelihood of fire and emergency situations.

Besides, limited opportunities in viewing the space around the device, there is a risk of the bathyscaphe colliding with rocks or other obstacles. The locator of a bathyscaphe, uniformly plunging vertically into the water column, cannot always detect them due to the peculiarities of the propagation of acoustic waves in the aquatic environment.

So the diving of this vessel is a complex and responsible operation that requires careful and advance preparation.

The first bathyscaphes

The first bathyscaphe, invented by O. Piccard, was called "FNRS-2", served in the French fleet for 5 years and was decommissioned in 1953. Gasoline, which has a density 1.5 times less than water, was used as a filler in this device.

The cabin of the bathyscaphe, as in aeronautics, called a gondola, had a spherical shape and a wall thickness of 90 mm. Two people could easily fit in it.

The main drawback of the FNRS-2 was the location of the hatch for entering the submersible. He was in the underwater part of the apparatus. It was possible to enter and leave the bathyscaphe gondola only if the device was on the carrier ship.

The second model of the bathyscaphe was FNRS-3. This device began to be used for deep-sea research from 1953 until the 70s of the twentieth century. This ship has become a museum. Currently, FNRS-3 is located in France, in Toulon.

According to engineering calculations, the device, like its predecessor, could dive to depths of up to 4 kilometers. The vessel had the same nacelle design as the FNTS-2, but otherwise the model was significantly modified.

Specifications

Bathyscaphes of different generations can be compared using their technical characteristics.

Bathyscaphe "Trieste"

What is this bathyscaphe famous for? What kind of vessel is it that can be understood in more detail? At the beginning of 1960, the Trieste made the first dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in Pacific Ocean. Codenamed Project Nekton, the operation was carried out by the US Navy in collaboration with the son of the bathyscaphe's inventor, Jacques Piccard.

Despite the stormy weather, on January 26, the first dive in human history to 10,900 meters took place. The main discovery made by researchers on this day is that there is life at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

Bathyscaphe Deepsea Challenger

This device, named after a deep-sea trench, is famous for being used by James Cameron in March 2012. On March 26, the famous film director reached the bottom of the Challenger Deep - another name for the Mariana Trench.

This was the fourth descent into the deepest point of the ocean in the history of mankind, notable for the fact that it turned out to be the longest and was carried out by one person. The locator of the bathyscaphe, gradually plunging vertically into the abyss, examined the bottom, and the director gained inspiration to create a sequel to the science-fiction film “Avatar.”

Bathyscaphe locator

A hydroacoustic station is a bathyscaphe locator that uniformly surveys the water column and detects rocks, bottom and other obstacles. This is perhaps the only means that allows you to “see”, or rather “hear” under water. The locator of the bathyscaphe, which evenly plunges to depth, is essentially the ears of the device.

Accidents with bathyscaphes

In August 2005, a Navy submersible was sunk off the coast of Kamchatka. Russian Federation. A deep-sea vehicle with a crew of seven became entangled in fishing nets at a depth of about 200 meters.

Rescue ships arrived at the scene and tried to move the bathyscaphe to shallower depths in order to then carry out a rescue operation with the help of divers. After unsuccessful attempts, Russian sailors turned to their British colleagues.

A joint Russian-British rescue operation using a deep-sea robot ended in success, the entire crew was saved, and the bathyscaphe was raised to the surface.