The SP-350 ''Denise'', famous as the "Diving saucer" (''Soucoupe plongeante''), is a small
submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
designed to hold two people, and is capable of exploring depths of up to . It was invented by
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau, (, also , ; 11 June 191025 June 1997) was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author. He co-invented the first successful Aqua-Lung, open-circuit SCUBA ( self-contained underwater breathing apparatus). T ...
and engineer Jean Mollard at the French Centre for Undersea Research. It was built in the year 1959 and usually operated from Cousteau's ship, the ''
Calypso''.
Diving Saucer Specifications
''Denise''s propulsion consists of steerable, electrically powered
water jets, allowing it to navigate in all directions, as well as turn about its vertical axis. To correct the attitude of the hull, the pilot can shift a liquid
mercury ballast
Ballast is material that is used to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship ...
mass. The crew members enter the craft through a hatch on the top of the hull and lie prone side-by-side on mattresses to operate it, watching their surroundings through tilted portholes that let them come within a few centimeters of their subject. Electric lamps are fitted for night diving and to provide illumination for photography at extreme working depths. An electrically operated manipulator arm can be fitted at the front of the craft so that the craft can pick up objects for the crew to examine through the portholes.
The steel pressure hull, nearly circular in plan form, is in diameter and high, able to resist a pressure of more than , equivalent to a depth of nearly , although dives never exceed for safety.
''Denise'' is naturally positively buoyant, and is weighted to negative buoyancy with ballast weights that can be jettisoned in an emergency. If the craft is within of the surface, the crew can abandon it via the top hatch, provided they are equipped with emergency breathing apparatus.
Launching and recovery is accomplished with the assistance of a shipboard
crane.
Use
The vehicle was featured in Costeau's film ''Le Monde sans soleil'' ("
World Without Sun
''World Without Sun'' (french: Le Monde sans soleil) is a 1964 French documentary film directed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau. The film was Cousteau's second to win an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, following ''The Silent World'' in 1956.
...
")
''Denise'' was used by Jacques Cousteau in 1976 to explore the wreck of the
HMHS ''Britannic''.
See also
*
Deep Star 4000
''Deepstar 4000'' was a U.S. Navy/civilian deep-submergence vehicle designed by Jacques Cousteau and built by Westinghouse. It was built in 1965 and retired in 1972. Some of the explorations of ''Deepstar 4000'' were shown in the January 1971 ed ...
, another submersible designed by Cousteau
References
*
Research submarines of France
1959 ships
Jacques Cousteau
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