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| History | |
|---|---|
 Belgium | |
| Name | FNRS-2 |
| Completed | 1948 |
| In service | 1948 |
| Out of service | 1948 |
| Fate | Rebuilt asFNRS-3 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Deep-submergence vehicle |
| Length | 15 m (49 ft) |
| Beam | 3.2 m (10 ft) |
| Draft | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Installed power | 1kW electric motor |
| Speed | 0.5 knots (0.93 km/h; 0.58 mph) |
| Endurance | 24h |
| Test depth | 4,000 m (13,000 ft) |
| Complement | 2 |
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TheFNRS-2 was the firstbathyscaphe. It was created byAuguste Piccard. Work started in 1937 but was interrupted byWorld War II. The deep-diving submarine was finished in 1948. The bathyscaphe was named after theBelgianFonds National de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS), the funding organization for the venture. FNRS also funded theFNRS-1 which was a balloon that set a world altitude record, also built by Piccard. TheFNRS-2 set world diving records, besting those of thebathyspheres, as no unwieldy cable was required for diving. It was in turn bested by a more refined version of itself, thebathyscapheTrieste.
FNRS-2 was built from 1946 to 1948. It was damaged during sea trials in 1948, off theCape Verde Islands.[1]FNRS-2 was sold to the French Navy when FNRS funding ran low, in 1948. The French rebuilt and rebaptised itFNRS-3. It was replaced by theArchimède. In February 1954 theFNRS-3 reached a depth of 4,050 metres (13,290 ft) in the Atlantic, 160 miles offDakar, beating Piccard's 1953 record by 900 metres.[2]
FNRS-2 went for sea trials accompanied by the 3,500 t Belgian shipScaldis, as its tender. However,Scaldis's crane was not strong enough to liftFNRS-2 while its float was filled, and this proved to be the detail that would endFNRS-2's career. An unmanned test dive to 4,600 feet (1,400 m) was successfully completed, but owing to technical problems, the support crew were unable to empty its float of the gasoline that was used for buoyancy.Scaldis attempted to towFNRS-2 back to port, but it was battered by ocean waves and sprang a gasoline leak. After the leak was detected, the gasoline was dumped into the sea andFNRS-2 was raised. However, there was no reserve of gasoline for replacement, nor funding to fix the float.[3]
Media related toFNRS II-III at Wikimedia Commons
