Pisces III
 |
|
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
|
|
| Name: | Pisces IV and Pisces V |
| Owner: | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
| Operator: | Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory |
| Builder: | Hyco International Hydrodynamics of North Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Completed: | Early 1970s |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 13,000kg |
| Length: | 6.10 m (20 ft 0 in) |
| Beam: | 3.20 m (10 ft 6 in) |
| Height: | 3.35 m (11 ft 0 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × side-mounted reversible thrusters tiltable through 90 degree, 2 × lead-acid battery systems: 120 V DC at 330 Ah capacity and 12–24 V DC at 220 Ah capacity |
| Speed: | 2.0 knots |
| Range: | 7–10 hours operational time |
| Endurance: | 140 hours life support for 3 people |
| Test depth: | 2,000 m (6,600 ft) |
| Crew: | 3 persons |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
Tritech SeaKing digital high definition sonar, Laser scaling system, Falmouth Scientific Micro CTD, Simrad altimeter sonar, Seabird Electronics Seacat CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) seawater profiler, TrackLink 5000HA USBL submersible tracking system, Sonatech long baseline acoustic tracking system, externally-mounted thermistors-internal meters |
| Notes: | 600 lb payload. HYCO Hydrodynamics manipulator: Schilling Titan 7 degrees of freedom |
Pisces class submersibles are three person research deep-submergence vehicles designed and built by Hyco International Hydrodynamics of North Vancouver in British Columbia 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 has a 7 ft (2.1 m) inside diameter and is made of HY-100 steel with 3 forward-looking acrylic windows, 6 in (15 cm) in diameter. Designed by Alan Trice, the Pisces series of submersibles are representative of early manned 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.
Pisces III was used to lay transatlantic telephone cable on the sea bottom off Ireland 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 1,575 feet (480 m) 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, Canada, and Great Britain, the U.S. Navy Cable-controlled Undersea Recovery Vehicle (CURV-III) 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 green 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 60 to 100 feet (18 to 30 m) per minute until their lines entangled. The lines were cut, CURV-III was abandoned, and Pisces III was floated to 60 feet (18 m) where scuba divers 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.
...
Wikipedia