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Deep-Sea Machines
Part 2
(back to Part 1)
Johnson Sea Link
In 1971, the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution in Fort
Pierce, Florida built this nine-ton, 23-foot long acrylic and
aluminum submersible for marine science research. Its
applications include mid-water observation, collection of
organisms, dump-site inspections, and archaeological site
documentation and artifact recovery. The forward sphere holds
the pilot and an observer while an additional crew member and
observer can occupy the after-observation chamber. In order to
illuminate underwater scenes for photography and observation,
Harbor Branch developed sunlight-simulating xenon arc lights.
In 1973, while being used by another institution, the
submersible became tangled in the cables of the sunken
destroyer Fred T. Berry. It was trapped for over 24 hours
before the rescue vessel A.B. Wood retrieved it with a
grappling hook. Sadly, two of the four crew members had died
of suffocation. A second Johnson Sea Link was built in
1975.
Nautile
Nautile is a French submersible operated by the French
Institute of Research and Exploitation of the Sea (known by
the acronym IFREMER). Holding a crew of three, it is highly
maneuverable and includes a small, telecontrolled robot called
Robin that can inspect and image areas inaccessible to the
submersible itself. Data and imagery from the deep may be sent
to the surface via an acoustic transmission unit. In 1987,
Nautile, whose manipulation system includes two mechanical
arms and a retractable sampling basket, was used to recover
thousands of artifacts from the Titanic.
MIR-1 and MIR-2
The submersibles MIR-1 and MIR-2 were built in 1987 and are
operated by the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology in Russia.
Each vehicle has an iron-nickel battery with a capacity of 100
kilowatts, which is twice as much as is available for other
submersibles in the same dive range (to 19,800 feet). The
Mirs' high power capacity allows them to undertake underwater
work schedules of 17 to 20 hours. Both submersibles carry up
to eight 1,200-watt
halogen-mercury-iodine lights, which helped them film scenes
of the Titanic for the blockbuster Hollywood movie. The Mirs
have also been used to explore hydrothermal vents and observe
the wreck of the Russian nuclear submarine Komsomolets.
Deep Flight
Hawkes Ocean Technologies of Point Richmond, California is
currently designing a new class of lightweight submersibles
for ocean exploration and filming. Their first prototype, Deep
Flight I, is a one-man submersible shaped like a miniature
spaceship. The pilot, who must lie face forward in the plastic
nose cone, controls depth by manipulating the external aft
wings with small joysticks. Due to its winged design and
increased thrust, Deep Flight I is capable of traveling up to
10 knots. Though it is several times faster than
traditional submersibles, it can only dive to 3,300 feet.
Hawkes is currently developing Deep Flight II, which will be
able to achieve the greater depths needed for scientific
research in the deep sea.
Jennifer Uscher is Production Assistant of NOVA
Online.
Discoveries in the Abyss
|
Deep Sea Machines
|
Vents of the World
Photos: (1) Ralph White/Corbis; (2,3) ©Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institution; (4,5) Ralph White; (6) ©1994
Mark Conlin/Mo Yung Productions; (7) Copyright ©1998
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Inc.; (8,9) U.S.
Navy Historical Center; (10) IFREMER; (11) ©1997
Norbert Wu; (12) Hawkes Ocean Technologies using Mechanical
Desktop 2.0.
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