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Adeep-submergence rescue vehicle (DSRV) is a type ofdeep-submergence vehicle used for rescue of personnel from disabledsubmarines andsubmersibles. While DSRV is the term most often used by theUnited States Navy, other nations have different designations for their equivalent vehicles.
ASRVRemora was the Australian navy's DSRV.[1] It is based on adiving bell design.[citation needed]
ThePeople's Republic of China has threeType 925 Dajiang class and threeType 926 class. Each ship is equipped with either twoType 7103 DSRV or oneLR7 crewed submersible undersea rescue vehicle.[citation needed]
France, Norway and the UK share theNATO Submarine Rescue System programme.[citation needed]
Italy operatesAnteo, equipped with the SRV-300 submersible in a submarine rescue role[3]
TheSwedish Navy operates the submarine rescue shipHSwMS Belos which can carry the Swedish submarine rescue vesselURF (Swedish:Ubåtsräddningsfarkost) as well as the BritishLR5.
TheUnited Kingdom operates theLR5 submersible in a submarine rescue role built byForum Energy Technologies's Subsea Division. It previously operated theLR3 built bySlingsby Engineering, which became part of Forum Energy Technologies (FET).[5]
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On 24 March 2016, United Kingdom'sJames Fisher Defence (JFD) won a contract, worth£193,000,000 (equivalent to £248,186,424 in 2023), to design, build and supply two of its third generation fly-away submarine rescue systems to theIndian Navy. The system includes the delivery of Deep Search and Rescue Vehicles (DSRV), Remote Operations Vehicle (ROV),Launch and Recovery Systems (LARS) equipment,Transfer Under Pressure (TUP) systems, and all logistics and support equipment required for their operations as well as 25-years maintenance support for the systems.[6][7] The systems were to undergo factory acceptance testing before their delivery, commissioning and trials.[8]
In December 2017, the factory acceptance tests of the first DSRV meant to be delivered to the Indian Navy were completed at JFD's National Hyperbaric Centre inAberdeen. On 16 February 2018, JFD completed the first stage of harbour acceptance trials of the DSRV. The trials were conducted at Glasgow’sKing George V dock.[9]
While the first system, referred to as Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) System, was delivered in April 2018[7] while the second system was to be delivered on 19 December 2018.[8]
By November 2018, the first system underwent extensive trials. While the DSRV module dived to over 666 m (2,185 ft), the ROV and the Side Scan Sonar clocked a depth of 750 m (2,460 ft) and 650 m (2,130 ft), respectively.[10] As reported in October, the DSRV also broke recorded the deepest submergence by a manned vessel" during the trials. On 15 October, the DSRV conducted mating with a submarine at a depth of 91 m (300 ft) to rescue mariners.[11]
The first system was inducted officially on 12 December 2018 in the presence of the thenChief of the Naval StaffAdmiralSunil Lanba at theNaval Dockyard,Mumbai which serves as the headquarters of theWestern Naval Command, making India one of the few nations to operate such capable systems.[8][12] The second system would be based atVisakhapatnam which serves as the headquarters of the headquarters ofEastern Naval Command.[12] The second unit was commissioned in 2019.[13]
The system has the capability to rescue stranded mariners from depths of up to 650 m (2,130 ft) with a detection range of 1,000 m (3,300 ft) and an endurance of about 3 hours. The DSRV has a has a complement of 3 crew and 14 rescued personnel.[11] It also is equipped with an advancedSide-Scan SONAR,Multifunctional Robotic Arms and advancedCameras. They are Air-Transportable and launched from ships.[14][15][10]
On 22 April 2021, the Navy mobilised its Visakhapatnam-based DSRV to assist TheIndonesian Navy in search and rescue efforts for the Indonesian SubmarineKRI Nanggala which was reported missing.[16][17]
In August 2025, theIndian Navy undertook the Rescue Seat Certification ofSASManthatisi, aHeroine-class submarine. This follows the "rescue cooperation pact" signed betweenIndian Navy ChiefAdmiralDinesh K Tripathi and South African Navy ChiefVice AdmiralMonde Lobese on 3 September 2024 which allows India to deploy itsDeep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) for assistance in case a South African Navy Submarine experiences an emergency. An Indian Navy team visitedSimon's Town and held talks with multiple talks South African stakeholders before the certification.[18][19]
These DSRVs will be deployed from theNistar-classdiving support vessels which are under construction. These will aid submarine operations of the Indian Navy.[13][20]
TheJapan Maritime Self-Defense Force operate two DSRVs with dedicated mother ships.
TheKorean navy operates a submarine rescue ship calledCheong Haejin. It has a dedicated mother ship. The model is based on a modified British design.
Russia is believed to have one vessel of theBester class and four of thePriz class, which was involved in the failed attempt to rescue the crew ofKursk.
MV Swift Rescue, launched 29 November 2008, is Singapore's first and onlysubmarine recovery vessel. It is equipped with a deep submergence rescue vehicle.
The vessel consisted of a Submarine Support and Rescue Vessel (SSRV) SSRV mother vessel proper and an integrated Submarine Rescue Vehicle (SRV), built by ST Marine at its Benoi Shipbuilding Yard in Singapore with its UK joint venture partner JFD based on its proprietary Deep Search and Rescue (DSAR) 500 Class submarine rescue vehicle platform, It also has an underwater drone ROV and a helipad.[21]
The Republic Of Singapore Navy has signed submarine rescue agreement with Australia, Indonesia,[22] Malaysia, Vietnam,[23] and United States to assist in submarine rescue efforts for their respective submarine fleets.[24][25]
The mode of deployment for theseUnited States submersibles is: fly the vehicle to the port closest to the incident; attach the vehicle to a hostsubmarine; the host submarine travels to the incident site; rescue. The DSRVs were originally designed to work withUSS Pigeon andUSS Ortolan, but those two vessels have since been decommissioned and replaced by theSubmarine Rescue Diving Recompression System.
The Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) is designed to rescue 24 people at a time at depths of up to 600 m (1,969 ft). Their maximum operating depth is 1,500 m (4,921 ft). Power is provided by two large batteries, one fore, and one aft that power the electrical, hydraulic and life support systems. The DSRV uses mercury in a completely sealed system to allow themselves to match any angle (up to 45°) in both pitch and roll so as to "mate" (attach) to a downed submarine that may be at an angle on the sea floor. The DSRV is capable of being transported by Air ForceC-5 to anywhere in the world within 24 hours.
It is then loaded onto a "Mother Submarine" (MOSUB). The MOSUB then carries the DSRV to the rescue site where several trips are made to rescue all personnel. Rescue is usually accomplished by ferrying rescuees from the stranded sub to the MOSUB, however, they can also be taken to a properly equipped surface support ship.
In addition to a number of U.S. Navy submarines being outfitted for MOSUB capabilities, several NATO countries also have submarines outfitted to carry the U.S. Navy DSRV for rescue capability as needed. Both the UK and French Navies have such submarines.
The interior of the DSRV is composed of three spheres. The forward sphere is the "Control Sphere" where the DSRV's pilot and copilot operate the vehicle. The two aft spheres (known as Mid Sphere and Aft Sphere) are used to seat the rescuees or to install equipment for additional operations. Maneuvering is accomplished using four thrusters and one mainpropeller.
