Turtle (DSV-3) was a 16-ton, crewed deep-ocean research submersible owned by theUnited States Navy. It is sister toAlvin (DSV-2) andSea Cliff (DSV-4).
Turtle (DSV-3) was designed and built by theElectric Boat division ofGeneral Dynamics Corporation at Groton, Connecticut. Turtle and her sisterSea Cliff (DSV-4) were launched on December 11, 1968. Turtle was named after Turtle Town, a small community in Polk County, Tennessee.[1] Her name also pays tribute to the American submarineTurtle which served in theAmerican Revolution.Turtle was accepted by the US Navy on September 25, 1970 at Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Turtle was designed to dive to 6500 feet. When DSV-2Alvin installed a new titanium hull, theAlvin steel hull was installed in theTurtle. The original steel hull was acquired by theMariners' Museum and Park in 2000 and became a part of the exhibition.[2] TheTurtle depth rating was then increased to 10,000 feet. TheAlvin-class DSV's were designed to replace older DSV, such as the less maneuverableTrieste-classbathyscaphes.[3]
Turtle spent her career as a unit of the U.S. Navy'sSubmarine Development Group 1 in San Diego, California.
TheTurtle was retired from active service on October 1, 1997. It was stricken from the US Navy Register on April 15, 1998.[4]
It has been on display at theMystic Aquarium inMystic, Connecticut since 1999.[5]
Turtle earned oneNational Defense Service Medal in 1970.[6] In addition to that she was awarded with theNavy Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC) in 1982, 1983 and 1990.[7][8][9]
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In fiction, she was featured in the 1980 filmRaise the Titanic; she was one of several submersibles in the salvage fleet, and one of two (along with the fictional NUMA submersible Deep Quest) that actually discovered the wreck.
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 "Diving into the Future DSV TURTLE part 1",Naval Sea Systems Command; twelve-minuteYouTube video clip | |
| "Diving into the Future DSV TURTLE part 2",Naval Sea Systems Command; twelve-minuteYouTube video clip |
41°22′25.3″N71°57′13.9″W / 41.373694°N 71.953861°W /41.373694; -71.953861
