''Trieste II'' (DSV-1) was the successor to
''Trieste''—the
United States Navy's first
bathyscaphe
A bathyscaphe ( or ) is a free-diving self-propelled deep-sea submersible, consisting of a crew cabin similar to a bathysphere, but suspended below a float rather than from a surface cable, as in the classic bathysphere design.
The float is fi ...
purchased from its Swiss designers.
History
The original ''Trieste'' design was heavily modified by the
Naval Electronics Laboratory in
San Diego, California and built at the
Mare Island Naval Shipyard
The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates th ...
. ''Trieste II'' incorporated the original
Terni, Italian-built sphere used in
''Trieste'', after it was made redundant by the new high-pressure sphere cast by the German
Krupp
The Krupp family (see pronunciation), a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, is notable for its production of steel, artillery, ammunition and other armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG (Friedrich Krup ...
Steelworks. The ''Trieste'' sphere was suspended from an entirely new float, more seaworthy and streamlined than the original but operating on identical principles. Completed in early 1964, ''Trieste II'' was placed on board
USNS ''Francis X. McGraw'' (T-AK241) and shipped, via the Panama Canal, to Boston.
Commanded by Lt Comdr. John B. Mooney Jr., with co-pilot Lt. John H. Howland and Capt. Frank Andrews, ''Trieste II'' conducted dives in the vicinity of the loss site of —operations commenced by the first ''Trieste'' the year before. She recovered bits of wreckage, positively fixing the remains as that of the lost ''Thresher'', in September 1964.
Between September 1965 and May 1966, ''Trieste II'' again underwent extensive modification and conversion at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, but there is no clear record that she was ever operated in that new configuration, i.e., the addition of
skegs or outriggers on both sides of the sphere.
During that same time period work was under way on a third configuration of the bathyscaphe. This work resulted in yet a new appearance for the ''Trieste II'', and included the installation of a new pressure sphere, designed for operation to .
As the bathyscaphe continued her operations as test vehicle for the deep submergence program, she qualified four officers as "hydronauts"—the beginning of a burgeoning oceanographic operation. ''Trieste IIs valuable experience in deep submergence operations has helped in the design and construction of other deep-diving submersibles which could be used in rescuing crews and recovering objects from submarines in distress below levels reachable by conventional methods.
This unique craft was listed only as "equipment" in the Navy inventory until the autumn of 1969. On 1 September 1969, ''Trieste II'' was placed in service, with the hull number X-1. She was reclassified as a deep submergence vehicle (DSV) on 1 June 1971.
On 25 April 1972, ''Trieste II'' recovered a satellite package called a "bucket" weighing several hundred pounds from a depth of greater than , a record at the time.
''Trieste II'' (DSV-1) continued her active service in the Pacific Fleet into 1980.
The
Trieste class
A deep-submergence vehicle (DSV) is a deep-diving crewed submersible that is self-propelled. Several navies operate vehicles that can be accurately described as DSVs. DSVs are commonly divided into two types: research DSVs, which are used for ex ...
DSV were replaced by the
Alvin class
A deep-submergence vehicle (DSV) is a deep-diving crewed submersible that is self-propelled. Several navies operate vehicles that can be accurately described as DSVs. DSVs are commonly divided into two types: research DSVs, which are used for ex ...
DSV, as exemplified by the famous
''Alvin'' (DSV-2). The ''Alvin''s are more capable, more maneuverable, less fragile, but also can not dive as deep, reaching only a maximum of 20,000 feet (for the
''Sea Cliff'' (DSV-4)).
''Trieste II'' is now preserved as a
museum ship
A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...
at the
Naval Undersea Museum,
Keyport, Washington.
Awards
*
Navy Unit Citation with star
*
Meritorious Unit Commendation
The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or s ...
with star
*
Navy E Ribbon
*
National Defense Service Medal with star
See also
*
*
* (DSV-2)
References
External links
An Underwater Ice Station Zebra: Recovering a Secret Spy Satellite Capsule from 16,400 Feet Below the Pacific OceanHistory of the Bathyscaph ''Trieste''Trieste Program Dive Log from the Collection of the Naval Undersea Museum
{{coord, 47.70024, -122.62381, type:landmark_region:US-WA, display=title
Submarines of the United States Navy
Trieste-class deep-submergence vehicle
Museum ships in Washington (state)
1964 ships