Alvin Submersible

Manned submersibles - on the Alvin - Bruce Strickrott, Alvin Pilot

Manned Presence in the Deep Ocean, from Fantasy to Reality – a discussion on the evolution and future of technologies associated with taking humans into the deep ocean.

In 1870, Jules Verne penned his famous novel, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, putting on paper as fiction what many had dreamed about, the ability to visit and explore the unknown depths of the ocean. From this time moving forward, the dream of deep ocean exploration has become a reality and has uncovered profound discoveries about the planet and the ocean environment. Beginning with primitive methods for traveling below the surface, and working to more complex and capable means of diving to deeper depths, the technology associated with taking humans into the ocean has advanced along with these important discoveries. Currently, scientists and engineers routinely dive to depths greater than 4000 meters with the current maximum depth attainable by a manned submersible set at 6500 meters.

Early manned vehicles included the Turtle (1700's), the Nautilus (a 19th century submersible designed by Robert Fulton), the Alligator (designed by Frenchman Brutus De Villeroi and was the US Navy's first submarine), the Hunley (Civil War era military submersible) and William Beebe's Bathysphere (one of the first manned vehicles used for exploration in the early 1900's). All of these unique vehicles, although primitive in design and marginal in success, helped to push manned ocean technology toward more effective methods and greater successes.

In the 1960's manned exploration of the deep ocean experienced great advances including the only manned dive to the Challenger Deep in the Bathyscaphe Trieste II (DSV 1). This period saw the design and manufacture of many new vehicles including DSV 2 Alvin and Aluminaut (an all aluminum submersible capable of 4500 meters and manufactured by Reynolds Aluminum).

From these early advances to the present, vehicle use and design has progressed, helping to move ocean exploration from a small number of vehicles with only a few dives per year, to multiple agencies diving manned vehicles around the globe. The increased manned presence has helped humans to develop a more complete and profound understanding of the Earth's oceans and their important interplay with our terrestrial life.

New technologies are being developed and implemented to provide more effective diving experiences and are moving to include unmanned and remotely operated deep diving vehicles (many in use today), adding to the suite of advanced deep ocean technologies available for ocean exploration (ROV Jason II, HROV Nereus – an unmanned hybrid vehicle that recently dove to the Challenger Deep, AUVs Sentry and ABE). Current engineering projects include the design and manufacture of new deeper diving advanced submersibles (the upgrade/replacement of Alvin over the next few years) and may very well help move manned presence in the ocean from the realm of science and the military into a more civilian endeavor.

Finally, technologies designed to help humans understand, visit and explore the deep ocean on the Earth will be utilized in the future on missions to remote moons and planets (it is believed that Europa – one of Jupiter's moons – has a liquid ocean that may harbor complex life) and will further improve our understanding of complex and extreme environments.

Alvin Links

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution http://www.whoi.edu/

Woods Hole Alvin page http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=8422

More Alvin http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/DSV_Alvin

Manned Deep Submergence Vehicles http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5367/is_200012/ai_n21464506/

Submarines and Submersibles http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/St-Ts/Submarines-and-Submersibles.html

NOAA Submersibles http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/technology/subs/subs.html

Additional Resources and Historical Links related to manned submersibles

Some historical Data: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diving_bell

Wikipedia article on Deep Submergence Vehicles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep-submergence_vehicle

1700's submersible – Turtle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle_(submarine)

Submarine Hunley: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._L._Hunley_(submarine) Beebe's Bathysphere: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathysphere_(vessel)

Trieste II: http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Bathyscaphe_Trieste_II

Trieste II is the only manned vehicle to dive to the Challenger Deep

Reynold's Aluminaut: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminaut

Long list of vehicle links: http://www.esryle.com/coblinks/links/NCSV.html

Robert Fulton's Nautilus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nautilus_(1800_submarine)

Brutus De Villeroi – French 19th century submarine engineer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brutus_de_Villeroi

Jules Verne, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea – written 1872 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty_Thousand_Leagues_Under_the_Sea

Books:

Water Baby, the Story of Alvin by Victoria A Kaharl (available from Amazon)

Adventures in Ocean Exploration, from the Discovery of the Titanic to the Search for Noak's Flood by Robert D. Ballard (available on Amazon - lots of exploration history and decent pictures)

Periodicals:

Oceanus Magazine, Volume 31, Number 4, winter 1988-89 DSV Alvin, 25 Years of Discovery (a full issue outlining Alvin's History )

Video/Movie:

Volcanoes of the Deep Sea – IMAX film utilizing Alvin (lots of good images (some from actual dives, some digital) a fair bit of 'artistic license' used in the film)

National Geographic: Secrets of the Titanic – 1986 film showcasing the first manned visit to Titanic utilizing Alvin

Disney Films – 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, 1954 film version of Jules Verne's book. (great film that shows the beginning ideas of manned presence in the ocean as fantasy/science fiction)

My Contact info:

W. Bruce Strickrott DSV Alvin Expedition Leader/Chief Pilot Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution [email protected] 561 573 1328