Alvin (DSV-2)
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Alvin (Deep Submergence Research Vehicle - DSV-2) is a deep-sea submarine with a length of 7 meters and a weight of 16 tons. Alvin isowned bythe United States Navy and the submarine is currently operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).
history
The submarine was built by General Mills ' Electronics Group (Litton Industries) of Minneapolis , Minnesota , and shipped on June 5, 1964 , at a cost of $ 575,000 . After a test phase, which was completed by the summer of 1965, the boat drove alternately for private companies and for the Office of Naval Research of the US Navy.
One of the Alvin's distinctive missions was the search for a hydrogen bomb that fell into the sea off Spain after a B-52 collided with a KC-135 tanker in January 1966 (→ Palomares incident ). Alvin also received media attention through bizarre incidents; the boat was once attacked by a swordfish , and the boat lost a gripper arm in a collision with its mother ship . The most noticeable accident with this submersible occurred in October 1968 in the Atlantic about 88 miles off the coast of Nantucket , Massachusetts , when Alvin sank in preparation for his 308th dive. After two cables of the submarine's receptacle were torn, water ran into the pressure hull of the submarine. The crew was able to save themselves in time, but the boat sank to a depth of 1,580 meters. It was only a year later that the vehicle could be recovered using the Aluminaut . The boat was able to be used again two years later after an extensive overhaul.
His most media-effective use was in 1986, when the wreck of the RMS Titanic was explored with his help . Alvin was also involved when the FAMOUS project set out to explore the mid- ocean ridge on site. After that, before 1977, Galapagos Islands , the black smokers (Engl. Black smokers ) discovered. This trip also represents the first hydrothermal spring expedition.
Originally, Alvin's maximum diving depth was 1,800 meters. In 1973, however, the submarine was rebuilt and received a 5 cm thick titanium shell , so that the submarine can now dive 4,500 meters deep. Inside there is space for three people, the pilot and two researchers. The viewing windows are made of 9 cm thick plastic. Alvin dives by loading weights, when the dive is over they are simply thrown off and the submarine slowly ascends. If necessary, the side thrusters can be used for additional lift. In addition, the equipment can be thrown off, which brings more weight than buoyancy with it. The air supply is sufficient for about 3 days. In an emergency, the capsule with the three occupants can be separated from the rest of the boat.
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The mother ship for Alvin was initially the catamaran USS Lulu (DSRVT-1). From 1968 this role took over the USNS Mizar . The Atlantis II has been the transport ship for the diving boat since 1986 .
literature
- Robert D. Ballard , Ken Marschall : Lost Liners - From the Titanic to Andrea Doria - the glory and decline of the great luxury liners . Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, Munich 1997, ISBN 3-453-12905-9 (English: Lost Liners: From the Titanic to the Andrea Doria. The ocean floor reveals its greatest lost ships. Translated by Helmut Gerstberger).
- Norbert Gierschner: diving boats. Submersible vehicles from all over the world. Transpress / VEB Publishing House for Transport, Berlin 1980.
- Claude Riffaud, Xavier Le Pichon : Expedition "Famous". 3000 meters below the Atlantic. Publishing house Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Cologne 1977, ISBN 3-462-01184-7 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Victoria A. Kaharl: Water Baby - The Story of Alvin. P. 115 f.
- ^ Robert D. Ballard: Notes on a Major Oceanographic Find. (PDF; 14.94 MB) In: Oceanus Volume 20, No. 3, Summer 1977, pp. 35-44.
Web links
- "Human Occupied Vehicle Alvin " , Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), May 3rd of 2007.
- Harold Froehlich, 84, Dies; Designed deep-sea minisub. In: The New York Times . May 26, 2007.