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Mariana Trench News

21 Sep 2023

U.S. Revives Cold War Submarine Spy Program to Counter China

Credit: noraismail/AdobeStock

On a windswept island 50 miles north of Seattle sits a U.S. Navy monitoring station. For years, it was kept busy tracking whale movements and measuring rising sea temperatures. Last October, the Navy gave the unit a new name that better reflects its current mission: Theater Undersea Surveillance Command.The renaming of the spy station at the Whidbey Island naval base is a nod to a much larger U.S. military project, according to three people with direct knowledge of the plans:…

06 Feb 2020

Trieste: 60th Anniversary of Deepest Dive

At 88 years young, Capt. Walsh still runs the day-to-day operations of International Maritime, a consulting company he established in 1976.
Image Courtesy Don Walsh.

Plunging into the deep, dark abyss of the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench, U.S. Navy Lt. Don Walsh and Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard heard a loud cracking sound in their vessel—the bathyscaphe Trieste, which the Office of Naval Research (ONR) purchased for scientific observations.Already 30,000 feet below sea level, Walsh and Piccard faced the ultimate decision—risk their lives to become the first people to travel to the deepest part of the ocean, the Challenger Deep, or return to safety.The crack had scarred one of Trieste’s outer plexiglass panels.

21 Feb 2019

Oi: Tracking 50 Years of Ocean Innovation

Marine Technology Reporter published a supplement to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Oceanology International. Photo: MTR

As Oceanology International celebrates its 50th Anniversary, Marine Technology Reporter explores half a century of subsea technology development and discovery. Oceanology International Americas runs February 25-27, 2019 in San Diego.When Oceanology launched in 1969 in the seaside resort of Brighton the world was a very different place. For a start, Brighton was home to the mods and rockers, who would square off against each other on the town’s elegant seafront. The British currency included shillings and ha’ pennies and man had yet to step foot on the moon.More crucially…

21 Nov 2018

Teledyne Bowtech Supplies Deepwater Lamps to Triton Submarines

Teledyne Bowtech, which specializes in the design and manufacturing of underwater vision systems, announced the supply of modified LED-V-Series deep water lamps for installation on board Triton submarines for the Five Deeps Expedition, a collaboration between investor and explorer Victor Vescovo of Caladan Oceanic, Triton Submarines and EYOS Expeditions.Teledyne Marine, which is is a collaboration of undersea technology product brands assembled by Teledyne Technologies, said in a press release that after three years of intensive efforts from some of the world’s leading oceanographers, submarine engineers, and scientists, the Five Deeps…

29 Jan 2017

Chinese Shipbuilder Mulls Deep-Sea Exploration

China Shipbuilding Industry Corp (CSIC) is developing a manned submersible vehicle, which would be able to dive into Challenger Deep, the deepest point on Earth estimated to be around 10,900m below the surface, Xinhua news agency reported. CSIC is almost done building a new cost-efficient manned submersible that could reach the majority of seabeds in the world. The development of deep-sea manned submersibles for rough seas would be one of CSIC's priorities in 2017. The vessel, now under final assembly and testing phase, will be equipped with five observation windows and three seats. If successful, the Chinese submersible would be the third to reach the bottom of Challenger Deep, also in the Mariana Trench.

18 Dec 2015

New Deep-Sea Vents, Volcanic Activity Found in Mariana Back-Arc

Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor returns from the first ever expedition to systematically characterize the rarely explored Mariana Back-Arc. HAGANTA, GUAM – A diverse team of scientists are returning from a 28-day expedition onboard R/V Falkor that has more than doubled the number of known hydrothermal vent sites in the Mariana Back-arc region. This area, west of the Mariana Trench, is where plate spreading and submarine volcanism are concentrated. Several momentous findings were made, including the discovery of one of the deepest vents ever found. Another important outcome was the discovery of an extremely rare recently-erupted underwater lava field that is likely only a few months old.

02 Mar 2015

First Deep Sea Exploration of the Perth Canyon Begins Today

      The RV Falkor (Photo courtesy of the Schmidt Ocean Institute)

The first deep-sea exploration of the Perth Canyon, Australia's largest undersea valley, will launch today, Phys.org is reporting. The 12-day expedition is backed by Google billionaire Eric Schmidt and will study the conditions and marine life inside the canyon, which researchers hope will provide new information about the effects of climate change. A team of researchers from the University of Western Australia led by Professor Malcolm McCulloch will collaborate with researchers from the Western Australia Museum…

22 Apr 2014

Saipem: A Fleet Grows in Brazil

As some pre-salt plays begin production, a wide range of subsea infrastructure is being built, with O&G transportation pipeline grids being one of the vital downstream systems. Saipem has been recipient of the first major contracts to install deepwater pre-salt pipelines by national operator Petrobras. Claudio Paschoa, Maritime Reporter’s correspondent in Brazil brings us an in-depth look at Saipem’s vessels and projects in Brazil. Saipem’s pipelaying segment is part of a unified Business Unit Engineering & Construction, an entity with more than 30,000 employees from more than 100 nationalities, with more than 60 permanent establishments and numerous project execution centers worldwide, which has maintained yearly revenues exceeding $13 billion.

12 Dec 2013

Registration Open for Oceanology International

Registration for the largest-ever Oceanology International (ExCeL London, March 11-13, 2014) is now open at oceanologyinternational.com. With 520 exhibitors from 35 countries taking up over 8,000 m2 net of space, the biennial global forum is where industry, academia and government come together to share knowledge and connect with their peers in the marine technology and ocean science community, thus improving their strategies for measuring, exploiting, protecting and operating in the world’s oceans. “It is not only the exhibition that is record-breaking, we have an impressive series of eight conferences and three highly topical panel discussions planned by the industry for the industry,” explained Event Director, James Coleman of Reed Exhibitions.

11 Jun 2013

China Submersible Sets to Sea

Jiaolong crew-members: Photo courtesy of China SOA

China's manned submersible 'Jiaolong', aboard its support ship 'Xiangyanghong-9', leaves Jiangyin on a marine science expedition. During the 103-day mission, the submersible will submerge for scientific research in the South China Sea, the northeast Pacific Ocean and the west Pacific. Jiaolong set a new dive record after reaching 7,062 meters deep in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench in June 2012, demonstrating China's ability to conduct deep-sea scientific research and resource exploration in 99.8 percent of the world's oceans.

27 Mar 2013

James Cameron Gifts 'Deepsea Challenger' to Woods Hole

Cameron & Avery: Photo credit Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

The Explorer and filmmaker James Cameron partners with Woods Hole Oceanographic Intitution to accelerate  technology development. The partnership aims to stimulate advances in ocean science and technology and build on the historic breakthroughs of the 2012 Cameron-led Deepsea Challenge expedition exploring deep-ocean trenches. The announcement comes on the one-year anniversary of Cameron's unprecedented solo dive to 35,787 feet, almost 11,000 meters, to the deepest place on Earth - the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench - in the vertically-deployed vehicle he and his team engineered…

29 Aug 2012

Kongsberg HD Cameras in Chinese Mariana Trench Dive

'Jiaolong': Photo credit Kongsberg

Kongsberg Maritime’s OE14-502 HD cameras were used by China's manned deep sea submersible 'Jiaolong' in recent W. Pacific Ocean dive. The Jiaolong was equipped with two ultra deep water versions of Kongsberg Maritime OE14-502D High Definition Cameras along with an ultra deep OE14-208 Digital Stills Camera and two OE14-364 Compact Fixed Colour Cameras. The Jiaolong made a total of six dives altogether, reaching a depth of 7062 meters on its final dive. This surpassed a national record depth of 7020 meters reached just a few days previously.

09 Aug 2012

Chinese Shipbuilder Plans Next Component of 'Oceanaut' Station

China Shipbuilding Industry Corp. (CSIC) is developing a manned submersible for dives to 4,500 meters (14,764 ft). The move comes as part of a greater plan for the nation to eventually build a deep sea station where submersibles can dock and oceanauts can work. CSIC, builders of the Jiaolong manned submersible, which made record dives to more than 7,000 meters in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench, said that the submersible has returned to its test base since completing deep sea diving missions, and it will be handed over for use after maintenance. The vessel will be used to conduct scientific research next year, the Beijing-based state-owned company said.

25 Jun 2012

China's Submersible Dives to 7,000 Meters

'Jiaolong's fourth successful dive below 7,000 meters, proved that the submersible was stable in function and the performance of the team improved gradually, said the program's on-scene commander Liu Feng. "Breaking the 7,000-meter mark means China has obtained the capability of exploring 99.8 percent of the deep ocean with manned submersibles," Liu said. Among about 90 operational manned submersibles thoughout the world, only 12 can descend to 1,000 meters undersea and even fewer can dive deeper. Before China's attempts, only manned submersibles of the United States, Japan, France and Russia have dived below 6,000 meters. China started the development of Jiaolong in 2002 and its first 1,000-meter dive test was conducted in 2009.

11 Jun 2012

China's Submersible Arrives Mariana Trench

The Xiangyanghong 09 ship carrying China's manned deep-sea submersible Jiaolong arrived at the designated dive area of the Mariana Trench on Monday morning, where it will attempt the world's first 7,000-meter dive. The first dive will challenge the depth of over 5,000 meters, but less than 6,200 meters. The fifth and sixth dives are scheduled to challenge the depth of 7,000 meters. The six dives will test various functions and performances of the manned submersible at great depths and each dive may last for eight to 12 hours. The Jiaolong succeeded in diving 5,188 meters in the Pacific Ocean last July, enabling China to conduct scientific surveys in 70 percent of the world's seabed areas.

04 Jun 2012

China Deep-Dive Expedition Anchors to Avoid Typhoon

The ship, the Xiangyanghong 09, left the eastern port city of Jiangyin earlier on Sunday and travelled about 155 nautical miles to an anchorage at the mouth of the Yangtze River near Shanghai, according to the onboard headquarter of the operation. The submersible, named after a mythical sea dragon, will dive 7,000 meters below the surface of the Pacific Ocean between mid-June and early July at the Mariana Trench. Tropical storm Mawar battered northern Philippines Saturday and was moving north. Meteorological experts said that Xiangyanghong would encounter Mawar on Tuesday if it had kept to the original plan. The ship would continue its voyage at a proper time and typhoon Mawar would not affect the planned dive of Jiaolong, said the headquarters.

28 May 2012

China Prepares for 7.000-meter Manned Submersible Dive

"Xiangyanghong 09":Photo credit China SOA

China's manned submersible Jiaolong, which reached 5,188 meters below the sea during its deepest dive in the Pacific Ocean this year, is on its way to attempt a 7,000-meter dive in the Marianas Trench, according to the State Oceanic Administration (SOA). China's intention is to develop deep-sea technologies and equipment, including comprehensive research ships, mothership of manned undersea grafts, and deep-sea autonomous underwater vehicles, according to Liu Cigui, head of the State Oceanic Administration (SOA).

25 Mar 2012

Report: Cameron Reaches Full Ocean Depth

According to a report on http://news.nationalgeographic.com, explorer and film maker James Cameron has arrived at the Mariana Trench's Challenger Deep, members of the National Geographic expedition have confirmed. According to the report, his depth on arrival was 35,756 ft. (10,898 m). Cameron is just the third person to reach this Pacific Ocean valley southwest of Guam (map)—and the only one to do so solo. After as long as six hours in the trench, Cameron—best known for creating fictional worlds on film (Avatar, Titanic, The Abyss)—is to jettison steel weights attached to the sub and shoot back to the surface. Upon touchdown at Challenger Deep, Cameron's first target is a phone booth-like unmanned "lander" dropped into the trench hours before his dive.

21 Mar 2012

Mariana Trench Dive – Support Ship Fits Advanced VSAT

Dive Support Ship Mermaid Sapphire: Photo courtesy Acutec

The historic expedition to the Mariana Trench’s lowest point, the Challenger Deep, which lies 6.83 miles (10.99 kilometers) below the ocean surface, is the first extensive scientific exploration in a manned submersible of the deepest spot on Earth. Piloting the Deepsea Challenger, which is outfitted for scientific exploration, James Cameron will conduct tests, collect samples, and document the experience in the high-resolution 3-D for which he’s known globally. Working for the Deep Sea Challenge project's communications provider Telstra…

30 Sep 2011

BlueView to Develop the First Full Ocean Depth Multibeam Imaging Sonar

BlueView Technologies has been commissioned to develop the first full ocean depth (11,000 meters), multibeam imaging sonar systems for historic exploration projects by Virgin Oceanic and film director & National Geographic Explorer in Residence James Cameron (Avatar). The new imaging sonar systems will be integrated onto manned and unmanned submersibles destined for the deepest locations on earth, including the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean. At more than 6 miles deep the BlueView imaging sonar will withstand immense pressure, more than 8 tons per square inch. Using hundreds of razor-thin acoustic beams the 2D imaging sonar system will aid real-time navigation…