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Because of its depth, the wreck of the Titanic is available to only a few manned submersibles in the world. RMS Titanic, Inc.'s expeditions have been conducted with the French submersible, Nautile, and its support vessel, Nadir, and with the Russian submersibles, MIR I and MIR II and their support vessel, Akademik Mstislav Keldysh.
(Click on more details below for additional information on the submersibles.)
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THE DESCENT
Prior to a day's expedition, the three designated divers perform final safety and equipment checks inside the submersible as the crew on the support vessel does a pre-dive check of the operating and communication systems. When all is ready, the submersible is launched by hydraulic crane to the surface of the sea and set free from the support vessel. Air is released from the ballast tanks and the sub sinks freely to the ocean floor; a journey of two and one half hours and an equal number of miles. Darkness closes in at 900 feet, the ocean temperature decreases, and moisture from the breath of crewmembers condenses--ultimately depositing three gallons of water in a sump by the end of the dive day. When the submersible finally reaches the ocean floor, her battery-powered engines are started and her lights switched on. Only then does the crew begin their day's mission, traveling at speeds of approximately 1.5 knots over the seabed.
THE ASCENT After spending 12 to 15 hours in exploration, recovery, and research, the crew prepares for their return to the surface. Achieving a state of buoyancy by venting its ballast, the submersible makes its return journey to the surface. A palpable sense of anticipation hovers over the support vessel until the capsule is spotted breaking the surface. Quickly, divers in rubber rafts called "Zodiacs" attach support cables to the small capsule guiding its progress back on board the mother ship. Finally garaged, the divers emerge from the hatch and technicians immediately begin a post-dive inspection in preparation for the next day's explorations.
(Click on more details below for photographs of the launch and retrieval of the submersibles.)
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