Experimental Sub dive in Monterey Bay. In a radical redesign of the submarine, it "flies" underwater like a plane rather than using ballast like a blimp. The designer thinks that a variation of this design can reach the bottom of the deepest trench in the ocean.
A
submersible is a commercial or non-military
midget submarine with limited service range and is typically transported to its area of operation by a surface vessel or large
submarine.
Commercial users of such vessels can include
oceanographers,
marine scientists and entertainment/adventure companies.
Apart from size, the technical difference between a 'submersible' and a 'submarine' is that submersibles are not totally autonomous. They may rely on a support facility or vessel for replenishment of power and breathing gases. Submersibles may also be relatively small, hold only a small crew, and have no living facilities.
A submersible usually has more
dexterous mobility—generally provided by use of
propeller screws or
pump-jets -- than a typical submarine.
Operation
Submersibles differ from
submarines in that submersibles typically have shorter range, and operate underwater almost exclusively, having little function at the surface. Many submersibles operate on a "tether" or "umbilical", remaining connected to a
tender (a submarine, surface vessel or platform). It can dive over 6 miles (10 km).
ROVs
Small unmanned submersibles called "marine remotely operated vehicles" or
MROVs are widely used today to work in water too deep or too dangerous for divers.
Remotely operated vehicles (
ROVs) repair offshore
petroleum platforms and attach cables to sunken ships to hoist them. Such remotely operated vehicles are attached by a tether (a thick cable providing power and communications) to a control center on a ship. Operators on the ship see video images sent back from the robot and may control its propellers and manipulator arm. The wreck of the
Titanic was explored by such a vehicle, as well as by a manned vessel.
Among the most famous submersibles is the deep-submergence research vessel
DSV Alvin.
See also
Sources
Polmar, Norman. "Bathyscaph." World Book Online Reference Center. 2008. [Place of access.] 26 Jan. 2008 http://worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar049420.
