June 21, 2012
James Cameron’s solo dive to the deepest point in the ocean has garnered the headlines, but a manned Chinese submersible called Jiaolong is increasingly making its mark on the ocean’s floor.
The Jiaolong successfully completed a dive to 22,851 feet (6,965 meters) below sea level into the Mariana Trench on Tuesday. China’s State Oceanic Administration reported that the submersible took three hours just to descend and the dive lasted 11 hours in total. The submersible returned to the surface with samples of deep-sea water, sediment deposits, specimens, as well as video and photographs.
The dive marked the piloted submersible’s third dive in the Mariana Trench. The submersible was being piloted by Ye Cong, Fu Wentao and Tang Jialing and had a support team of nearly 100 scientists on standby to ensure the functionality of the submersible, conduct research and analyze seabed samples, according to the Institute of Acoustics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The Jiaolong’s dive broke the previous world record for three-man submersibles that was set by Japan’s Shikai in August 1989. Unlike Cameron’s Deepsea Challenger, which is shaped like a vertical torpedo, the Jiaolong is reported to be considerably more spacious allowing for multiple people and is primarily self-propelled. While both of these factors add some benefits they also add increased structural and engineering challenges.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences released that China initiated the Jiaolong project in 2002. Between May and July 2010, the Jiaolong completed 17 dives in the South China Sea and last summer it successfully dove 5,188 meters below sea level in the Pacific Ocean. Earlier this year, a Chinese research vessel, the Halyang-6, carried out surveys in the Mariana Trench to help prepare for the current expedition and identify ideal sites for the piloted Jiaolong to descend.
The chief designer of the Jiaolong, Xu Qinan, told China Daily that the submersible’s hydraulic pressure system was improved since prior dives to ensure it would be able to withstand the higher pressure and lower temperatures they new they would encounter when diving in the Mariana Trench.
“The Jiaolong’s expedition is aimed at benefiting all of mankind,” said head operator of the submersible Ye Cong to the Chinese Academy of Sciences. “The deep sea has amazing resources waiting to be discovered.”
The Jiaolong is expected to attempt four more dives with the aim of reaching a depth of reaching a depth of nearly 23,000 feet (7,000 meters). The vessel is not set to return to China until mid-July.
Top photo: (supplied) The submersible Jiaolong in a workshop at the China Ship Scientific Research Centre.