''Pisces class submersibles'' are three person research
deep-submergence vehicle
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 ...
s designed and built by Hyco International Hydrodynamics of
North Vancouver in
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
with a maximum operating depth of 2,000 m (6,560 ft). The vehicles have multiple view ports, sample collecting, environmental sensing, and instrument placement capabilities. The
pressure hull
A submarine hull has two major components, the ''light hull'' and the ''pressure hull''. The light hull (''casing'' in British usage) of a submarine is the outer non-watertight hull which provides a hydrodynamically efficient shape. The pressure ...
has a inside diameter and is made of
HY-100 steel with 3 forward-looking
acrylic
Acrylic may refer to:
Chemicals and materials
* Acrylic acid, the simplest acrylic compound
* Acrylate polymer, a group of polymers (plastics) noted for transparency and elasticity
* Acrylic resin, a group of related thermoplastic or thermosett ...
windows, in diameter. Designed by
Allan Trice, the ''Pisces'' series of submersibles are representative of early crewed submersibles built in the late 1960s and were proven workhorses in offshore exploration and
oceanographic research. ''Pisces II'' was the first production model of the design and was completed in 1968, with 9 more ''Pisces'' subs built before the manufacturer folded in the late 1970s.
1973 ''Pisces'' III rescue
![PISCES RESCUE - NAVY PHOTO 1973](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/PISCES_RESCUE_-_NAVY_PHOTO_1973.jpg)
''Pisces III'' was being used to bury cable and repeaters of the
CANTAT-2
CANTAT-2 was the second Canadian transatlantic telephone cable,
in operation from 1974 to 1992.
It could carry 1,840 simultaneous telephone calls
between Beaver Harbour, Nova Scotia and England. The parties involved were Canadian Overseas Telecom ...
transatlantic telephone cable
A transatlantic telecommunications cable is a submarine communications cable connecting one side of the Atlantic Ocean to the other. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, each cable was a single wire. After mid-century, coaxial cable came into use ...
on the sea bottom off
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
in 1973 when a buoyancy tank was inadvertently flooded. It sank to the bottom of the ocean with its two-man crew, Britons Roger Mallinson and Roger Chapman, stranded at a depth of and 72 hours of available life support, which they were able to extend to 76 hours by careful conservation.
Initial rescue efforts by ''Pisces III'' sister submersibles were unsuccessful. Through an international effort of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, and
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
, the U.S. Navy Cable-controlled Undersea Recovery Vehicle (
CURV-III
CURV-III was the fourth generation of the United States Navy Cable-controlled Undersea Recovery Vehicle (CURV). CURV was a prototype for remotely operated underwater vehicles and a pioneer for teleoperation. It became famous in 1966 when CURV- ...
) was deployed within 24 hours 6,000 miles from its home base. Deployment of CURV-III from CCGS ''John Cabot'' was hampered by heavy sea conditions. Rapid repairs were made when CURV-III’s
gyroscope failed and electronics shorted-out after sea water came aboard the ''Cabot''. Assisted by the submersibles ''Pisces II'' and ''Pisces V'', CURV-III was able to attach lines to the ''Pisces'' III hatch. The ''Cabot'' raised CURV-III at per minute until their lines entangled. The lines were cut, CURV-III was abandoned, and ''Pisces III'' was floated to where
scuba divers
This is a list of underwater divers whose exploits have made them notable.
Underwater divers are people who take part in underwater diving activities – Underwater diving is practiced as part of an occupation, or for recreation, where t ...
were able to attach lines that were used to lift ''Pisces III'' the rest of the way to the surface. CURV-III performed the deepest underwater rescue in history when ''Pisces III''’s two-man crew was rescued after 76 hours with just 12 minutes of air remaining.
Pisces IV and V
''
Pisces IV'' and ''
Pisces V
''Pisces V'' is a type of manned submersible ocean exploration device, powered by battery, and capable of operating to depths of , a depth that is optimum for use in the sea waters around the Hawaiian Islands. It is used by scientists to explore ...
'' are currently operated for research by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...
, based in Hawaii. Its mother ship, the ''R/V Kaimikai-o-Kanaloa'', launches ''Pisces V'' and its sister vessel ''Pisces IV'' from an A-frame hoist on its aft deck.
''Pisces IV'' was built for the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
in 1971, but due to
national security concerns from the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
that sensitive technology might be transferred to the Soviets, Canadian Government refused to issue the export permit and instead purchased it for its
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO; french: Pêches et Océans Canada, MPO), is a department of the Government of Canada that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and sc ...
. Both ''Pisces IV'' and ''V'' are currently operated by the
Hawaii Underwater Research Laboratory, part of the US
National Undersea Research Program
The National Undersea Research Program (NURP) is a U.S. government program that operates six facilities for undersea research, including the world's only permanent undersea research facility, Aquarius
Aquarius may refer to:
Astrology
* Aqu ...
. The second ''Pisces'' is kept on board in a ready state in case of an emergency.
Pisces VI
Pisces VI was purchased out of storage from International Underwater Contractors in 2015. Currently Pisces VI is undergoing a complete refit in
Salina, Kansas
Salina is a city in, and the county seat of, Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,889.
In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1 ...
. Pisces VI is being reengineered to provide a versatile deep water platform to meet the needs of the underwater research community.
Pisces VII and XI
''Pisces VII'' and ''Pisces XI'' were built in 1975 and used by the
Shirshov Institute of Oceanology The Shirshov Institute of Oceanology ( P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (IO) RAN, russian: Федеральное государственное бюджетное учреждение науки Институт океанологии имен ...
of the
Academy of Sciences of the USSR
The Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union was the highest scientific institution of the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1991, uniting the country's leading scientists, subordinated directly to the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (until 1946 ...
for about ten years, until being replaced by the
MIR submersibles.
[Интервью И.Е.Михальцева Новой газете]
(I.E. Mikhaltsev's interview with '' Novaya Gazeta''). Published in Novaya Gazeta, No. (1265) 27-29 Aug 2007
''
Akademik Kurchatov'', ''
Dmitri Mendeleyev
Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev (sometimes transliterated as Mendeleyev or Mendeleef) ( ; russian: links=no, Дмитрий Иванович Менделеев, tr. , ; 8 February Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._27_January.html" ;"title="O ...
'', and ''
Akademik Mstislav Keldysh
The R/V ''Akademik Mstislav Keldysh'' (russian: Академик Мстислав Келдыш) is a 6,240 ton Russian scientific research vessel. It has made over 50 voyages, and is best known as the support vessel of the ''Mir'' submersibles. ...
'' served as their support ships.
Production
Current status of vehicles
* ''Pisces II'' is currently on display at Deep Marine, a maritime museum highlighting the deep-sea technology legacy of Hyco at Deep Marine, located at the old
Versatile Pacific Shipyards site on the waterfront at Esplanade and Lonsdale, in
North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
* ''Pisces III'' is on display at Weymouth Sea Life Centre, Dorset, United Kingdom.
* Both ''Pisces IV'' and ''V'' have undergone recent upgrades and are operated by the Hawai‘i Undersea Research Laboratory (HURL), NOAA’s Undersea Research Center at the
University of Hawaii
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
School of Ocean & Earth Science & Technology.
* Pisces VI underwent refit in
Salina, Kansas
Salina is a city in, and the county seat of, Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,889.
In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1 ...
, United States, and is now based in the Canary Islands.
* Of the two Russian-owned submersibles, ''Pisces VII'' and ''XI'', ''VII'' is on display at the Museum of the World Ocean in
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad ( ; rus, Калининград, p=kəlʲɪnʲɪnˈɡrat, links=y), until 1946 known as Königsberg (; rus, Кёнигсберг, Kyonigsberg, ˈkʲɵnʲɪɡzbɛrk; rus, Короле́вец, Korolevets), is the largest city and ...
, next to the research vessel ''
Vityaz.'' ''XI'' is on display at the Baikal Museum in
Listvyanka.
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pisces Class Dsv
Submarine classes
Submarines of Canada
1970 ships
Ships built in British Columbia