''Pisces V'' is a type of manned

submersible A submersible is a small watercraft designed to operate underwater. The term "submersible" is often used to differentiate from other underwater vessels known as submarines, in that a submarine is a fully self-sufficient craft, capable of ind ...

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 The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

. It is used by scientists to explore the deep sea around the underwater banks in the main Hawaiian Islands, as well as the underwater features and

seamount A seamount is a large geologic landform that rises from the ocean floor that does not reach to the water's surface (sea level), and thus is not an island, islet or cliff-rock. Seamounts are typically formed from extinct volcanoes that rise abru ...

s in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, specifically around Kamaʻehuakanaloa Seamount (formerly Loihi). In 1973, ''Pisces V'' took part in the

rescue of Roger Mallinson and Roger Chapman The rescue of Roger Mallinson and Roger Chapman occurred between 29 August and 1 September 1973 after their Vickers Oceanics small submersible '' Pisces III'' was trapped on the seabed at a depth of , off Ireland in the Celtic Sea. The 76-ho ...

, who were trapped on the seabed in ''Pisces V''s sister submersible '' Pisces III''. In August 2002, ''Pisces V'' and her sister ''Pisces IV'' discovered a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Japanese midget submarine In late May and early June 1942, during World War II, Imperial Japanese Navy submarines made a series of attacks on the Australian cities of Sydney and Newcastle. On the night of 31 May – 1 June, three ''Ko-hyoteki''-class midget submarine ...

outside of

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

which had been sunk by the

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

in the

first American shots fired in World War II First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number 1 (number), one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, D ...

. In 2011, marine scientists from HURL celebrated the 1,000 dives of ''Pisces V'' and ''Pisces IV''.

Uses

The advantage of having two is that it allows preparation for an emergency. While one of the submersibles is conducting its dive, the other remains at readiness should there be an emergency, needing to be boarded on ship and hurried to the site of the problem. Such an emergency could include the submersible becoming tangled in fishing nets or entrapped in rocks or debris on the ocean floor. In such cases, the second heads to the rescue. There are also research experiments where it is advantageous to use the two vessels together. In August 2002, ''Pisces V'' and her sister vessel ''Pisces IV'' discovered a

; sunk on December 7, 1941 by the

in the

, the submarine was hit by a 4"/50 caliber gun shot and

depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...

d shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor began. The submarine was found in of water about off the mouth of

. This was the culmination of a 61-year search for the vessel and has been called "the most significant modern marine archeological find ever in the Pacific, second only to the finding of ''Titanic'' in the Atlantic". In 2003, ''Pisces V'' visited the Japanese midget submarine it had found in Pearl Harbor the year before. The

U.S. State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...

worked in conjunction with the Japanese Foreign Ministry to determine Japanese wishes regarding the fate of the midget submarine. The submersibles are used by HURL as teaching devices. In 2008, two members of the Tampa Bay Chapter of SCUBAnauts were invited to team with HURL and to visit the historic wreck of the Japanese submarine. One SCUBAnaut said as he stepped on ''Pisces V'' that "it looked and felt as if I were in a space shuttle preparing for lift-off". A mock-up of the control panel of ''Pisces V'' can be visited by the public at the

Mokupāpapa Discovery Center The S. Hata Building is a historic structure in Hilo, Hawaii built by Japanese businessman Hata Sadanosuke (1868 - ?) in 1912. It now contains specialty shops, professional offices, and a Cafe Pesto restaurant. Hata family Hata Sadanosuke was ...

Hilo, Hawaii Hilo () is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Island of Hawaii. The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 census. It is the fourth-largest settlement i ...

. On March 5, 2009, scientists discovered seven new species of

bamboo coral Bamboo coral, family Isididae, is a family of mostly deep-sea coral of the phylum Cnidaria. It is a commonly recognized inhabitant of the deep sea, due to the clearly articulated skeletons of the species. Deep water coral species such as th ...

, six of which may be of a new genus, an extraordinary finding in a genus so broad. They were able to find these specimens through the use of ''Pisces V'' which allowed them to reach depths beyond those attained by scuba divers. They also discovered a giant sponge approximately three feet tall and three feet wide that scientists named the "cauldron sponge".

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pisces 5 Submarines of Canada Pisces-class deep submergence vehicles Ships built in British Columbia 1973 ships Submarines of the United States Hydrology Physical geography

Uses

Notes

Further reading

External links